Reflection, Motor, B-Ball

Two public events of note on the Kalamazoo College campus Friday Jan. 11. And one on Saturday.

“Everyone Has a Steak In It: Implications of How We Eat at K.” The Winter Quarter Week One Community Reflections is co-sponsored by K’s Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for Service-Learning. Join students and faculty as they share personal stories and critically examine how the choices Kalamazoo College makes regarding its food vendor have lasting implications. This motivational, challenging, and informational reflection will explore the intersections and influences of food–including health, culture, race, environment, and accessibility–while inspiring us to speak out and act to create a just food system at K. Stetson Chapel, 10:50 a.m. Refreshments at 10:30. Free and open to the public.

“The Motor of Campus.” This photo exhibit features 26 environmental portraits of K’s Facilities Management, or FacMan, employees. Photos by Sam Doyle ’13, exhibit curation by Eeva Sharp ’12. Reception 6-9 p.m. in the Light Fine Arts Lobby. Free and open to the public.

The K Women’s Basketball team hosts Trine University in Anderson Athletic Center at 3 p.m. Saturday. Inexpensive and open to the public. Go Hornets!

 

Cultivating Community

Shoshana Schultz holds the calendar for "A Year of Food in Kalamazoo"
K Senior Shoshana Schultz hold “A Year of Food in Kalamazoo,” a calendar created by her and other K students.

Cultivating Community is a first-year seminar taught by Associate Professor of English Amelia Katanski ’92. It’s a service-learning course that combines academic inquiry with a project rooted in a local issue or organization.

This fall, Cultivating Community students broke into groups to interview and photograph people active in the area food community for the purpose of creating a 2013 calendar titled “A Year of Food in Kalamazoo.”

Subjects ranged from farmers and farm worker advocates, to organic food vendors such as Bridgett Blough ’08, who operates her own food truck business called The Organic Gypsy.

Teacher’s Assistant Shoshana Schultz ’13 worked as a go-between for the students, Katanski, and the People’s Food Co-Op, the class’s community partner.

“The seminar engages students in a critical examination of national food justice issues and introduces them to local food vendors who face these issues daily,” said Schultz. “The calendar is a meaningful and active way to address food justice and for others in the Kalamazoo community to be part of the discussion.

Now a senior, Schultz took Cultivating Community her first year at K. “My first year completely framed the way that I got to know the Kalamazoo community,” she said. “I’m proud of the work the students did this year.”

The calendars are on sale now at the People’s Food Co-Op in Kalamazoo for $15.

Dean’s List Fall 2012

Congratulations to the following Kalamazoo College students, who achieved a grade point average of 3.5 or better for a full-time course load of at least three units, without failing or withdrawing from any course, during the Fall 2012 academic term.

Fall 2012

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T V W Y Z

A

Nicole Allman
Sophia Amodeo
Ayaka Abe
Keaton Adams
Michael Allen
Avery Allman
Michael Anderson
Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti
Giancarlo Anemone
Jasmine An
Adrianna Aviles
Sarah Allis

B

Madison Baxter
Kathryn Bergh
Kristen Bergh
Brita Bliss
Alice Bowe
Kelly Bresnahan
Anh Bui
Megan Burns
Philip Bystrom
Reid Blanchett
Allison Bloomfield
Nakeya Boyles
Calli Brannan
Stavros Bricolas
Amanda Bolles
Shelbi Bolter
Travis Bowers
Cameron Brutsche
Sarah Baehr
Ernest Barna III
Caroline Barnett
Grace Barry
Abraham Bayha
Kate Belew
Hilary Bick
Olivia Bouchard
Miss Grace Bowe
Caitlin Braun
Taylor Brown
Aaron Bunker
Laurel Burgam
Camille Burke
Travis Braun

C

Stefano Cagnato
Christopher Cain
Elaine Carlin
Cody Carr
Myungjin Cha
Kathryn Chamberlain
Cassandra Chorny
Kamille Cross
Nora Cullen
Francisco Cabrera
Willina Cain
Kathryn Callaghan
Olivia Cares
Isabelle Ciaramitaro
Josefina Cibelli
Annaliese Collier
Margot Couraud
Brian Cunningham-Rhoads
Xiaotang Cai Jr.
Edward Carey
Ismael Carrasco III
Holly Cooperrider
Ellie Cannon
Haley Cartwright
Colin Cepuran
Natalie Coogan
Riley Cook
Leo Cox
Brock Crystal
Brandon Casto
Emily Ciesielski
Rebecca Cummins-Lanter

D

Hannah Daly
Peter Decker
Calee Dieleman
Gabriella Donofrio
Emily Drucker
Jeremiah Duncan
Susmitha Daggubati
Brian Dalluge
Joshua Daniel
Justin Danzy
Natalie Davenport
Kathryn Davis
Kevin Davison
Samir Deshpande
Melany Diaz
Rachel Dranoff
Johanna Drentlaw
Paula Dallacqua
Megan Davis
Francesca DeAnda
Trenton Dykstra
Rachel Dandar
Callie Daniels-Howell
Christopher Darnton
David DeSimone
Kelsey Donk
Ryan Davis
Abigail DeOchoa
Samuel Doyle

E

Monika Egerer
Maythita Eiampikul
Sophia Ernstrom
Fiona Evans
Kevin Ewing
Maya Edery
Kristen Ellefson
Andrew Ertle
Samuel Evans-Golden
Joyce Eckstrom
Elaine Ezekiel

F

William Ferrara
Alexis Fiebernitz
Marie Fiori
Joshua Foley
Angela Fong
Hannah Frame
Caitlin Finan
Campbell Flood
Abram Farley
Nathaniel Feuerstein
Tyler Fisher
Samantha Foran
Caroline Foura
Abigail Fraser
Rina Fujiwara
Beth Farwell

G

Cierra Gillard
Madelyn Gillentine
Dulce Godines
Mary Goyings
Joseph Granzotto
Hannah Gray
Emily Guzman
Keith Garber
Joana Garcia
Evan Gorgas
Emma Gougeon
Madalyn Grau
Maria Luisa Garnica Marroquin
Mark Ghafari
David Graham
Bridget Gallagher
Grace Gilmore
Alexandra Gothard
Anna Gough
Kaitlyn Greiner
Alexandra Groffsky
Rudi Goddard
Emily Gray
Hanna Groniger
Jared Georgakopoulos

H

Dagan Hammar
Emilie Harris-Makinen
Sara Haverkamp
Kenneth Heidel
Michael Hicks
Jeffery Holton
Rachel Horness
Benjamin Hulbert
Kathryn Hunter
Chaz Hyatt
Robert Hammond
Nora Harris
Sarah Hassle
Shannon Haupt
Stephanie Heard
Michelle Hernandez
Kaitlyn Horton
Pornkamol Huang
Audra Hudson
Patricia Hunter
Daniel Herrick
Jonathan Husar
Allison Hammerly
Elizabeth Hanley
Andrew Haughey
Mariah Hennen
Jordan Henning
Emily Holloway
Jenna Holmes
Drew Hopper
Jane Huffman
Zari Haggenmiller
Nicole Higgins
Robert Hilliard
Jacob Holloway
Kyle Huismann

I

Sierra Imanse

J

Max Jensen
Evan Johnson
Katherine Johnston
Thomas Jackson
Morgan Jennings
Andrea Johnson
Tibin John
Samantha Jolly

K

Margaret Kane
Grace Kelley
Tristan Kiel
Daniel Kilburn
Chaise Kahlenbeck
Jessica Kehoe
Spencer Kennedy
Anthony Ketner
Siga Kisielius
Ruiqi Kou
Matthew Kuntzman
Mehmet Kologlu
Daniel Karn
Abigail Keizer
Jack Kemper
Faiz Khaja
Emily Kotz
McKenna Kring
Camden Krusec
Hannah Knoll
Catherine Kopecky

L

Bonnie Lathrop
Conrad Liu
Mara Livezey
Robyn Lane
Patrick Leaske
Bo Gyoung Lee
Elizabeth Lenning
Madeline LeVasseur
William Lewis
Jacob Lindquist
Yishi Li
Riley Lundquist
Colin Lauderdale
Rachael La Barbera
Tessa Lathrop
Jacob Lenning
Rebecca Lennington
Vageesha Liyana Gunawardana
Justin Leatherwood
Paul Lovaas
Colin Leffert
Christopher Lueck

M

Lydia Manger
Megan Martinez
Caitlin McCarthy
Alaina McConnell
Jessica McInchak
Megan McLeod
Ian Miller
Michael Minkus
Sashae Mitchell
Ellen Muniga
Lucy MacArthur Jr.
Megan Malish
Sarah Manski
Belinda McCauley
Mallory McClure
Ivy McKee
Molly Meddock
Jordan Meiller
Mallika Mitra
Aliera Morasch
Laura Moreno
Chloe Mpinga
Quinn McCormick
Jordan Meeth
Tendai Mudyiwa
Corinne MacInnes
Lucy Mailing
Grace Manger
Grace Mathieu
Adam McDowell
Aaron McGuire
Salome Mgaloblishvili
Gabrielle Montesanti
Alexandra Morris
Philip Mulder
Shane MacDonald
David Menoian
Brandon Merritt
Matthew Mills
Alexander Minch
Matthew Morrison

N

Alexandra Norman
Nicholas Nutile
Alissa Neff
Hang Nguyen
Hoang Nguyen
Maureen Newman
Taylor Netherton

O

Franco Ojimba
Hannah Olsen

P

Dana Page
Yunpeng Pang
Alicia Pettys
Alexandra Prepsky
Elizabeth Penix
Jung Eun Pyeon
Jane Packer
Fayang Pan
Thanh Thanh Phan
Laura Persons

Q

R

Bianca Rasho
Trace Redmond
Darwin Rodriguez
Rebecca Rogstad
Brian Raetz
Rachel Rezko
Sophie Roberts
William Roberts
Braeden Rodriguez
Christopher Ralstrom
William Reichle
Anna Rayas
Lindsey Reppuhn
Maria Rich
Katherine Ring
Sophia Ritsema
Werner Roennecke II
Ryan Rohatynski
Samuel Rood
Alexander Rigney
Megan Rosenberg

S

Emily Salswedel
Andrew Schelberg-Miller
Brooke Selik
Jennifer Servis
Samantha Simmons
Imani Sims
Jyotika Singh
Alex Smith
Julia Smucker
Melissa Sparow
Jensen Sprowl
Nikki Stern
Shelby Stuart
Nicholas Sweda
Grady Schneider
Lauren Seroka
Nicholas Shabino
Brandon Siedlaczek
Alexsandra Siems
Alexandra Smith
Jordan Smith
Kyle Sunden
Mengxi Sun
Muyang Sun
Mira Swearer
Rami Sherman
Sajan Silwal
Wyatt Smith
Alexandra Stephens
Andrea Satchwell
Cameron Schneberger
Kaitlyn Schneider
Aaron Schoenfeldt
Colleen Schuldeis
Robert Schultz
Hannah Shaughnessy-Mogill
Dylan Shearer
Hayley Smith
Ernest Stech
Emily Stillman
Adrian Shier
Jacqueline Short
Audrey Slough
Renjie Song
Eeva Stout-Sharp
Keeney Swearer
Shelley Stevens

T

Amy Tam
Kinza Tareen
Yvonne Thoits
Jonathan Tavasti
Abigail Taylor
Nadia Torres
Minhkhang Truong
Elizabeth Tyburski
Thomas Tabor
Brett Thomas
Tyler Tabenske
Emerson Talanda-Fisher
Lauren Tartalone
Lilian Taylor

U

Elizabeth Uribe

V

Lydia Vadopalas
Kiran Vangipuram
Alexandra VanHeest
Daisy Villa
Elizabeth Vincensi
Zachary Voigt
Samantha Voss
Amritha Venkataraman
Rachael Vettese
Austin Voydanoff

W

Sarah Wallace
Emily Walsh
Weiwei Wang
Jiakan Wang
Charles Weber
Loren Weber
Yuanyuan Wen
Lauren Wierenga
Bradford Woelke
Abby Wood
Emily Wright
Natalie Weingartz
Sarah Werner
Connor Wheaton
Kieran Williams
Jenna Wood
Sarah Woods
Joseph Widmer
Jessica Wiese
Joseph Wyzgoski
Alyssa Walker
Jeffery Washington Jr.
Cameron Wasko
Alexander Werder
Joseph Westerfield
Scott Wharam
Courtney Wise
Richard Woods
Erika Worley
Riley Wetzel

Y

Michael Yeomans
Roy Yewah
Skylar Young
Karl Young

Z

Agron Ziberi
Marc Zughaib
Allan Zamierowski

K Student Activities Win Awards

For the second year in a row, Kalamazoo College has earned awards from the National Association of Campus Activities—Mid-America Region, during its annual conference in Grand Rapids. Awards were given to campus events at member institutions in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia during the 2011-12 academic year.

K earned the NACA Region’s coveted Program of the Year award for its annual Monte Carlo Night, the annual winter casino event at which students are the players (using funny money supplied by the College), and professors and administrative staff are dealers and croupiers. A DJ and dancing, food, and great prizes from the “Millionaire Shop” are also featured. The alcohol-free event is a formal affair with participants dressing to the nines. It’s K’s signature event for students each year, attracting nearly 1,000 participants.

K’s Homecoming Sock Hop Dance earned the NACA’s Outstanding Campus Collaboration. It’s the second year in a row for a K win in this category. Carried out in collaboration with K’s Student Commission and Student Activities Committee, the Sock Hop attracted more than 600 K students to the Anderson Athletic Center during Homecoming weekend.

Emily Lott holds a framed NACA award
Emily Lott

Emily Lott rounded out the 2012 NACA awards for K by earning the Outstanding Graduate Assistant award. A graduate student from Western Michigan University, Emily has served as an advisor, mentor, and resource for many K students since her arrival on campus in August 2011. She recently planned and implemented the “NextGen Workshop” for the Michigan College Personnel Association’s annual conference, designed to be a resource for undergraduate students interested in pursuing a career in the field of Student Affairs.

“The NACA awards represent the best achievements by student development professionals at small colleges and large universities throughout our six-state NACA region,” said Kalamazoo College Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students Sarah Westfall. “I’m very happy for our students and Student Involvement staff, and am pleased to know that K is out front in the effort to create educational and recreational opportunities for our students and professionals.”

Dean Westfall praised Assistant Dean of Students Brian Dietz and Assistant Director of Student Involvement Kate Yancho for providing the organizational leadership behind these and other activities for K students. Read more about K’s award winning Office of Student Involvement effort here.

Hornets Join Broncos in Hurricane Cleanup

K cross country runner Brock Crystal ’15 (l) and WMU football player Nick Norton (r) helped New Jersey homeowners Vicki Laudien and Joe Danski clean up after Hurricane Sandy
K cross country runner Brock Crystal ’15 (l) and WMU football player Nick Norton (r) helped New Jersey homeowners Vicki Laudien and Joe Danski clean up after Hurricane Sandy.

Brock Crystal’s ’15 decision to attend the weekly athlete bible study at Kalamazoo College led him on an adventure in giving and gratitude he says he’ll never forget. Crystal, a member of the K Men’s Cross Country team, heard about a planned mission trip during Thanksgiving weekend to the East Coast where Hornets would collaborate with Broncos—Western Michigan University’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes—to help people affected by Hurricane Sandy.
      Though he had never tried anything like this before, Crystal decided to tag along with fellow K students. Sophie Roberts ’16, Quinn McCormick ’14, Jacob Lenning ’15, Liz Lenning ’16, Guiherme (Will) Guedes ’15, and Crystal carpooled east where they met up with the WMU volunteers. The group of 14 student athletes worked for five days tearing out damage from flooded homes and helping residents take photographs for insurance claims.
      This trip marked Crystal’s first time volunteering at a disaster site. He said many homes still lacked power and water, and many people were stranded or living with friends. One day, Crystal and others travelled to the Jersey Shore where they met homeowners Vicki Laudien and Joe Danski whose house had been flooded with four feet of water.
      “They basically said, ‘everything in this house from four feet below has to leave,’” said Crystal. As the K crew worked clearing out the house, they discovered a board in the back of a first-floor closet. The board held pencil markings of Laudien’s and Danski’s grandchildren’s changing heights over the years. Crystal and his crewmates pried the board from the closet, and presented it as a gift to the family.
      “It was really powerful to connect so deeply to someone in the span of half a day,” said Crystal. Now that he’s back home, Crystal says he caught the volunteer bug. “I really now see it’s not about us and not about getting gratitude for what we’ve done; it’s about helping other people,” he said. “It was a very rewarding experience I’d go on 100 times over.”
Story by Elaine Ezekiel ’13

K Science Majors Present at Undergraduate Research Conference

Six students who presented at the West Michigan Regional Undergraduate Science Research Conference
Scientific presenters at the West Michigan Regional Undergraduate Science Research Conference included (l-r): Carline Dugue, Josh Abbott, Amanda Bolles, Mara Livezey, Kelly Bresnahan, and Chelsea Wallace. Not pictured are Erran Briggs, Michael Hicks, Nicolas Sweda, and Associate Professors of Chemistry Laura Lowe Furge and Regina Stevens-Truss.

Nine Kalamazoo College science majors and two chemistry department faculty members (Regina Stevens-Truss and Laura Lowe Furge) attended the recent West Michigan Regional Undergraduate Science Research Conference in Grand Rapids. The students were Carline Dugue ’12, Chelsea Wallace ’13, Nicholas Sweda ’12, Mara Livezey ’13, Michael Hicks ’12, Kelly Bresnahan ’12, Josh Abbott ’12, Amanda Bolles ’14, and Erran Briggs ’14. Hicks and Wallace are biology majors; the others are majoring in chemistry. They presented results of their summer and academic year research experiences, including Senior Individualized Project work for Dugue, Bresnahan, Sweda, and Abbott. More than 170 posters from colleges across West Michigan were part of the conference’s poster session, and some 400 people participated in the conference. Dugue’s research focused on semiconductor quantum dots and charge transfer; she worked with Western Michigan University professor Sherine Obare. Abbott’s work focused on the role of a specific liver enzyme (CYP2B6) in the way the body processes the cancer drug cyclophosphamide. He did this work in the lab of Professor Paul Hollenberg at the University of Michigan. Bresnahan completed her SIP at the University of Michigan laboratory of Professor James Woods. She worked on animal models for testing of molecules called cholinergic receptor agonists for aid in smoking cessation studies. The other six posters described research done at Kalamazoo College. Sweda presented ongoing studies from Professor Stevens-Truss’s lab on suramin selective inhibition of nitric oxide synthases, part of a chain of events that affects production of nitric oxide in the human body. An excess of nitric oxide is associated with conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. This work is the basis of a manuscript in preparation with Sweda and Alyssa McNamara ’11 as co-authors. Wallace’s research (with Associate Professor of Biology Blaine Moore) showed that BCL-2 is able to rescue neuroblastoma cells from ethanol toxicity. Livezey, Hicks, Bolles, and Briggs each presented individual posters with results of three projects from Professor Furge’s lab on the interactions of inhibitors with human cytochrome P450 enzymes. These enzymes metabolize compounds, including medicines, in the liver, and the inhibition of those enzymes may influence the effectiveness of current and new medicines. The work presented by Bolles and Briggs is currently being prepared in a manuscript for publication with both students as co-authors along with Livezey. The posters presented by Hicks and Livezey are the basis of a current NIH grant renewal to support ongoing opportunities for student research in the Furge lab. In addition to the poster sessions, students attended several lectures and were able to meet with graduate school recruiters.

Celebrations of Light

“Diwali & Eid Celebrations” was the topic of the Week Nine (Nov. 9) Community Reflection in Stetson Chapel. Sponsored by K Desi and the Chapel Program, this Reflection sought to inform the campus community about the origins and customs of the holidays celebrated by Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs this time of year.

Seven students celebrate Diwali and Eid
Kalamazoo College students helping the campus community celebrate Diwali and Eid were (top row, l-r) Swapna Gudipati ’13, Utsav Adhikari ’14, Faiza Fayyaz ’13, Karan Kapoor ’14 (bottom row), Kinza Tareen ’13, Jyotika Singh ’13, and Sukhvir Kaur ’13.

Utsav Adhikari ’14 and Karan Kapoor ’14 lit a candle and rang a ceremonial bell while Swapna Gudipati ’13 recited the Lakshmi Puja prayer, which, she said, is typical of Diwali celebrations in Hindu culture. “In India, we celebrate Diwali by lighting candles, or diyas, around the house,” she said. “It is thought that when the light comes from the diyas, that the evil and darkness goes away.”

Kapoor recalled some of his memories of the “festival of lights,” which occurred this year between Nov. 13 and 17. “It’s a lot like Christmas, but we don’t have Santa Claus,” he said. Adhikari recalled celebrations of a similar holiday, Tihar, in his native Nepal. Sukhvir Kaur ’13 and Jyotika Singh ’13 spoke about a religious time for Sikhs called Bandi Chhor Divas that occurs around the same time as Diwali. Kaur said it is less of a holiday, and more of a day of reflection. “Sikhs do not ’celebrate holidays,’” she said, “rather, they pay homage.” Singh translated a Sikh poem about enlightenment.

Faiza Fayyaz ’13 and Kinza Tareen ’13 described Eid al-Adha, the Muslim holiday that occurred on Oct. 26 this year. Tareen spoke about the customs associated with the holiday, like sharing meat from a sacrificial animal, in thirds, between family, friends and neighbors, and the needy “in the spirit of Eid.” After the reflection, students gathered on the chapel steps to light sparklers.

Community Reflection offers a unique forum for discussion, worship, performance, and community expression each Friday at 10:50 AM (refreshments at 10:30) in Stetson Chapel. The entire campus community and general public are invited. The Week 10 (Nov. 16) the last Reflection of the Fall 2012 Quarter will be a “Thanksgiving Sing-a-Long,” in which the Student Chaplains offer a musical reflection on Thanksgiving, and gratitude for our role in preserving and establishing community in our lives.

Battle of the Brains

Congrats to the Black Hornets (Jiakan Wang ’13, Renjie Song ’13, Tibin John ’15) and the Orange Hornets (Chris Clerville ’13, Will Reichle 14’, Kyle Sunden ’14) on their success at the regional Association for Computing Machinery International Collegiate Programming Contest, or “Battle of the Brains,” this past Saturday. Both Kalamazoo College teams finished in the top half of the teams in their region.

The  Black Hornets solved two out of nine problems, finished in 39th place in the region (out of 131 teams), and earned the Extreme Programmers award for solving problem B in 25 minutes! The Orange Hornets solved one out of nine problems and finished 53rd in the region.

“Our region is one of the most competitive in the country, including multiple teams from such schools as Carnegie Mellon, University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, University of Michigan, and Notre Dame,” said Associate Professor of Computer Science Pam Cutter, Ph.D. “I’m proud of both teams for solving at least one problem. There were 54 teams in our region that did not solve any of the problems!”

According to Cutter, the “Battle of the Brains” consists of a five-hour, real-world, problem-solving challenge that is equivalent to an entire semester’s worth of computer programming. Teams of three from colleges and universities in 90 countries and six continents use skills based upon open technology and advanced computing methods to compete for a coveted spot on the World Finals held in summer 2013 in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Full standings and results from the recent regional, and problem sets with judges solutions can be found at http://acm.ashland.edu.

Black and Orange! Orange and Black!

Marquise Griffin ’15 Selected to Attend National Student Leadership Forum on Faith and Values

Marquise Griffin
Marquise Griffin ’15

Marquise Griffin ’15 has been selected to attend the 2012 National Student Leadership Forum on Faith and Values in Washington, D.C., Nov. 2-4. Convened by members of Congress, the Forum brings together college students from the United States and abroad to interact with fellow students, recent graduates, young professionals, and established adults from the political, business, and social service sectors.

Marquise was nominated by Kalamazoo College Chaplain Liz Candido ’00. He’s a student chaplain at K and co-leader of the Christian Student Organization. Marquise is active in the K Black Student Organization, K-Crew, Caribbean Society, and Poetry Collective, and he’s working with other K students to create a student fitness organization on campus.

The St. Louis, Missouri-native also engages in service-learning as a tutor in the Community Advocates for Parents and Students (CAPS) program in Kalamazoo. He intends to declare a major in English during winter quarter 2013. A lifelong martial arts enthusiast, Marquise is on his way to meeting his goal to earn a “black belt” in at least seven martial arts categories. Martial arts allow him “to meld my spirituality, mental/intellectual abilities, and physical fitness into a lifelong journey of self improvement and service to others,” he said. “As a Christian, I view service to be a top priority. Christ taught us to serve others with love, because love is the greatest force.”

Honors Day

Student receiving award at Honors Day
Sashae Mitchell ’15 receiving the Virginia Hinkelman Memorial Award from Sarah Westfall and Zaide Pixley.

“Honors Day Convocation” was the Week 7 (Oct. 26) Community Reflection in Stetson Chapel. The event is a time to present special awards to Kalamazoo College students for their accomplishments. Most awards are based on outstanding performance in a particular area during the previous academic year.

Chaplain Liz Candido ’00 greeted the audience of more than 200 K professors, staff members, students and their families present for Parents Weekend. Jenna Hunt ’13 sang “Love Went A-Riding” accompanied by piano before Provost Mickey McDonald delivered opening remarks. “These times of celebration are important to any community,” he said. “It is a time to learn more about each other, to recognize the outstanding contributions being made by those in our community, and to honor those making these contributions.”

Accompanied by Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students Sarah Westfall and Dean of the First Year and Advising Zaide Pixley, McDonald awarded about 60 students with 31 honors across Fine Arts, Foreign Languages, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Social Sciences, and Physical Education. He also announced non-departmental awards and recognized students and athletes who received various honors in scholarship last year, such as the Posse Scholars of 2016 and 122 Hornets who qualified for the MIAA Academic Honor Roll.

View a complete list of those awarded.

To close the ceremony, the audience joined in singing the Kalamazoo Alma Mater.

Community Reflection offers a unique forum for discussion, worship, performance, and community expression each Friday at 10:50 AM in Stetson Chapel. The entire campus community and general public are invited. The Week 8 (Nov 2) Reflection will be “Unmasking the Sting of Micro-aggressions in Everyday Life.” This service, Co-sponsored by the Counseling Center, will reflect on the hurtfulness of micro-aggressions, and encourage audience members to think about the impact of daily interactions that may be perceived negatively. [Story and photo by Elaine Ezekiel ’13]