K Welcomes Visitors to Family Weekend

Family weekend
Welcome, families, to Kalamazoo College’s family weekend!

Welcome, families, to Family Weekend at Kalamazoo College! Below you will find a list of activities along with links to the campus map in our virtual tour, providing the locations of each facility. Questions about Family Weekend may be directed to Dana Jansma, Associate Dean of Students in the Student Development Office at 269-337-7209 or dana.jansma@kzoo.edu.

FRIDAY, OCT. 27

7:45 a.m. to 6 p.m., Upjohn Library Commons, Book Club Café

Coffee, beverages and light snacks are available for purchase.

8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Hicks Student Center, Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership atrium

Pick up Kalamazoo shopping, walking and dining suggestions at information tables throughout the day.

8:30 a.m. to 3:55 p.m.

Attend a K class. A list of classes available is at the information table at Hicks Student Center and in the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership atrium.

10 a.m. to midnight, Richardson Room at Hicks Student Center

Beverages, soup and sandwiches available to purchase.

11 to 11:50 a.m., Stetson Chapel

Honors Day Convocation

Kalamazoo College observes Honors Day in the fall quarter of each year, recognizing at convocation those students who have earned honors for the year and those who have won special prizes during the previous academic year.

11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Hicks Student Center

Lunch available. Purchase tickets at the entrance of the Dining Center. $7.

3 to 4 p.m., Dewing 103

A Parent’s Guide to Finances for Continuing Students

Becca Murphy, Director of Financial Aid, and Patrick Farmer, Student Accounts Coordinator, will provide important financial aid deadlines and review commonly asked billing questions related to studying abroad. This is also an opportunity for families to get answers to their general financial and billing questions.

4 to 5 p.m., Dewing 103

Why it Matters: The Importance of Critical Civic Engagement

This student panel, facilitated by Moises Hernandez, K’17, Post Baccalaureate Fellow, and Alison Geist, Director, the Center for Civic Engagement, provides a glimpse into current students’ experiences working through local community partnerships to “build a more just, equitable, and sustainable world.” About two-thirds of K students participate in faculty-led community based research and coursework, and in student-led initiatives the CCE facilitates. Come and learn more about this vital component of the “K-Plan.”

5 to 7:30 p.m., Hicks Student Center

Dinner available. Purchase tickets at the entrance of the Dining Center. $10.

5 p.m. to midnight, Hicks Student Center, Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership atrium

Pick up a list of Kalamazoo shopping, walking and dining suggestions at information tables.

SATURDAY, OCT. 28

8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Hicks Student Center, Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership atrium

Pick up shopping, walking and dining suggestions.

8:30 a.m., Hicks Student Center, Banquet Room

Complimentary coffee, donuts and hot chocolate.

9 to 10 a.m., Hicks Student Center, Banquet Room

A Parent’s Guide to Study Abroad

What do parents of first and second-year students need to know about study abroad? Presented by Margaret Wiedenhoeft, Executive Director of International Programs.

9:30 to 11 a.m., Hornets Suite, Athletics Fieldhouse

Legacy Families Breakfast sponsored by Alumni Engagement. Legacy families will receive an invitation to this breakfast.

9:30 to 11 a.m., Hicks Student Center

Continental breakfast available. Purchase tickets at the entrance of the Dining Center. $4.50.

9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Upjohn Library Commons, Book Club Café

Coffee, beverages, and light snacks available to purchase.

10 a.m. to noon, Lilian Anderson Arboretum, 1.8 miles west of the intersection of M-43 (West Main Street) and U.S. 131 in Oshtemo Township.

Lilian Anderson Arboretum Guided Nature Hike: Humanity’s Relationship with Nature

What do the forest and humans have in common? How has our presence influenced the natural world around us? Explore these questions on a guided hike through Kalamazoo College’s lush and scenic Lilian Anderson Arboretum. Join students from the “Roots in the Earth” First-Year Seminar for an intimate look into the Arboretum’s diverse plant life, animal population, and engaging history. Meet in the main Arboretum parking lot (overflow parking will be available at the Oshtemo Township Park (7275 West Main). Wear comfortable shoes and bring a water bottle.

10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Hicks Student Center, lower level

Family Photo Booth: You are invited to preserve the fun of Family Weekend 2017 with a photograph, compliments of the Kalamazoo College Fund.

10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Upjohn Library Commons, A.M. Todd Rare Book Room, third floor

Rome the Eternal: Art, Architecture, Literature

Rome as seen by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, with texts by Cicero, Ovid and Virgil.

10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Hicks Student Center, lower level

Bookstore open: 20 percent off all Kalamazoo College imprinted items.

10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Hicks Student Center, Richardson Room

Beverages, soup, and sandwiches available to purchase.

10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m., Hicks Student Center, Banquet Room

Career Development at K: Partnerships and Practice

Learn about the College’s commitment to integrating career exploration and development throughout a student’s four years at K, including how parents and others can get involved, from Center for Career and Professional Development Director Joan Hawxhurst.

11 a.m., Anderson Athletic Center

Come cheer on the volleyball team! Kalamazoo vs Olivet.

11:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., Hicks Student Center

Brunch available. Purchase tickets at the entrance of the Dining Center. $7.

1 p.m., Athletic Field Complex

Come cheer on the football team! Kalamazoo College vs. Hope College.

2 to 3 p.m., Recital Hall, Light Fine Arts

Preview Performance of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante

One of the master’s most inspired and divinely beautiful creations, the Sinfonia Concertante is a duet for the violin and viola with accompaniment. This work will feature the Kalamazoo Philharmonia’s Nov. 12 performance.

3:15 to 4 p.m., Dewing 103

How I Built My K-Plan: A Conversation with Departmental Student Advisors

Hear from some of our outstanding department student advisers about life at K. They will answer such questions as, “How did you choose your majors and plan for study abroad and your senior project? What are the most interesting classes you have taken? Why is it important to explore across the liberal arts? How do your co-curricular activities connect to your academic interests?”

4 to 5 p.m., Mandelle Hall, Olmsted Room

Punch bowl with President Jorge G. Gonzalez: A college update and conversation with our president and other key people at the college.

5 to 7 p.m., Hicks Student Center

Dinner available. Purchase tickets at the entrance of the Dining Center. $10.

7 to 9 p.m., Light Fine Arts, Dalton Theatre

“Let it Out!”

The Kalamazoo College student dance organization Frelon presents its fall show, which includes multiple campus student organizations. Enjoy an evening of student performances ranging from ballet to hip hop dance, skits, poems and music.

8:30 to 11:30 p.m., Hicks Student Center

Saturday Night Zoo After Dark: Hicks Halloween Party

A Halloween party including a costume contest, dancing, crafts, game stations, a Halloween-themed buffet and a photo booth.

College Celebrates Honors Day

Kalamazoo College Family Weekend served as the backdrop for the College’s annual Honors Day convocation. More than 250 students were recognized Friday, Oct. 27, for excellence in academics and leadership in six divisions: Fine Arts, Foreign Languages, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Social Sciences and Physical Education. Recipients of prestigious scholarships were recognized, as were members of national honor societies and students who received special Kalamazoo College awards. Student athletes and teams who won Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association awards also were honored. The students receiving Honors Day awards or recognition are listed below.

Honors Day
The Honors Day Convocation, conducted Oct. 27 at Stetson Chapel, celebrated the achievements of more than 250 Kalamazoo College students.

FINE ARTS DIVISION

The Brian Gougeon Prize in Art
Hannah Rainaldi

The Margaret Upton Prize in Music
Joshua Gibson
Jenna Sherman

Cooper Award
Kate Kreiss

Sherwood Prize
Cody Colvin

Theatre Arts First-Year Student Award
Sophia Hill
Alysia Homminga

FOREIGN LANGUAGES DIVISION

LeGrand Copley Prize in French
Valentina Cordero
Ravi Nair

Hardy Fuchs Award
Matthew Flotemersch

Margo Light Award
Annarosa Whitman

Romance Languages Department Prize in Spanish
Joshua Gibson
Kevin McCarty

Clara H. Buckley Prize for Excellence in Latin
Mara Hazen

Provost’s Prize in Classics
Clayton Meldrum

HUMANITIES DIVISION

O.M. Allen Prize in English
Paige Coffing

John B. Wickstrom Prize in History
Riya Bhuyan

Department of Philosophy Prize
Lee Carter
Emiline Chipman

L.J. and Eva (“Gibbie”) Hemmes Memorial Prize in Philosophy
Rosella LoChirco

NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS DIVISION

Winifred Peake Jones Prize in Biology
Brigette Berke
Amelia Davis
Dominic Gonzalez

Department of Chemistry Prize
Kevin McCarty

First-Year Chemistry Award
Kristen Amyx-Sherer
Alyssa Heitkamp

Lemuel F. Smith Award
Maria Fujii

Computer Science Prize
Fabien Debies
Zoe Larson
Danielle Sarafian

First-Year Mathematics Award
Michael Orwin
William Tait

Thomas O. Walton Prize in Mathematics
Allegra Allgeier

Cooper Prize in Physics
Benjamin Behrens
Valentina Harding
Alexis Periman
Justin Seablom
Ethan Tucker

SOCIAL SCIENCES DIVISION

Departmental Prize in Anthropology and Sociology
Paige Chung
Shadaijah Grandberry-Payton
Aliyah Jamaluddin
Elizabeth Munoz
Emiliana Renuart

C. Wallace Lawrence Prize in Economics
Andrew Parsons
Evelyn Wagner

C. Wallace Lawrence Prize in Business
Jessica Penny
Scott Roberts
Garrett Swanson

Irene and S. Kyle Morris Prize
Zachary Ray

William G. Howard Memorial Prize
Sarah Gerendasy

Department of Psychology First-Year Student Prize
Shannon Carley

PHYSICAL EDUCATION DIVISION

Division of Physical Education Prize
Laura Hanselman
Daniel Henry

Maggie Wardle Prize
Elizabeth Munoz

COLLEGE AWARDS

Gordon Beaumont Memorial Award
Cydney Martell
Rumsha Sajid
Cindy Xiao

Henry and Inez Brown Prize
Alexandrea Ambs
Emily Good
David Vanderkloot

Virginia Hinkelman Memorial Award
Sarafina Milianti
Sep’tisha Riley

Heyl Scholars – Class of 2020
Andrew Backer
Matthew Giguere
Josephine Hosner
Danielle Janowicz
Samuel Meyer
Hannah Pittman
Stephanie Rauhoff
Subi Thakali
Dustin Tibbetts

Posse Scholars – Class of 2020
Alejandro Aguirre
Alexandro Cruz
Kahira Embry
Moses Gonzalez
Denise Jackson
Trevor Loduem-Jackson
Daniel Mota-Villegas
Angela Pastor
Enrique Robles
Gabrielle Walton Schwartz

National Merit Scholar – Class of 2020
Ehren White

Voynovich Scholars
Elise Houcek
Susmitha Narisetty

Alpha Lambda Delta – Class of 2019
Alpha Lambda Delta is a national honor society that recognizes excellence in academic achievement during the first college year. To be eligible for membership, students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 and be in the top 20 percent of their class during the first year.

Logan Beck
Benjamin Behrens
Brigette Berke
Riya Bhuyan
Shannon Carley
Iffat Chowdhury
Valentina Cordero
Austin Cramer
Adelaine Dancer
Matthew Flotemersch
Amanda Gardner
Joshua Gibson
Dominic Gonzalez
Martin Hansknecht
Sophia Hill
Kento Hirakawa
Alysia Homminga
Maria Katrantzi
Zoe Larson
Samuel Maddox
Kathryn Martin
Kevin McCarty
Tamara Morrison
Elizabeth Munoz
Cayla Patterson
Alexis Periman
Victorialyn Regan
Danna Robles-Garcia
Orly Rubinfeld
Danielle Sarafian
Jenna Sherman
Simran Singh
Grant Stille
Sarah Whitfield

ENLIGHTENED LEADERSHIP AWARDS

Performing Arts: Music
Madeleine Armstrong
Zachary Colburn
Adam Decker
Jennalise Ellis
Stanton Greenstone
Audrey Honig
Isabel McLaughlin
Katherine Miller-Purrenhage
Natalie Minzey
Julia Riddle
Margaret Roethler

MICHIGAN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (MIAA) AWARDS

The following Hornet teams earned the 2015-2016 MIAA Team GPA Award. Team members achieved a 3.3 or better grade point average for the entire academic year.

Men’s Baseball
Men’s Cross Country
Men’s Golf
Men’s Soccer
Men’s Swim & Dive
Men’s Tennis
Women’s Basketball
Women’s Golf
Women’s Lacrosse
Women’s Soccer
Women’s Softball
Women’s Swim & Dive
Women’s Tennis
Women’s Volleyball

MIAA ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL

The MIAA each year honors students at member colleges who achieve distinction in the classroom and in athletic competition. Students need to be a letter winners in a varsity sport and maintain at minimum 3.5 grade point average for the entire school year.

Cheyenne Allyn-White
Alexandrea Ambs
Georgie Andrews
Ryan Andrusz
Hunter Angileri
Alberto Ayala
Sonal Bahl
Chase Baysdell
Matthew Benedettini
Jacob Bonifacio
Kennedy Boulton
Riley Boyd
Andrew Bremer
Allie Brodsky
Molly Brueger
Ian Bunker
Matthew Burczyk
Alexander Cadigan
Charles Carson
Madeleine Chilcote
Jack Clark
Elizabeth Clevenger
Anthony Convertino
Austin Cramer
Anna Dairaghi
Christina Dandar
Elan Dantus
Roger Darling
Sabrina Dass
Steven Davis
Eric De Witt
Dana DeVito
Mikayla Doepker
Guillermo Dominguez-Garcia
Nathan Donovan
Erin DuRoss
Tristyn Edsall
Emma Eisenbeis
Michael Faust
Anders Finholt
John Fowler
Christopher Francis
Maria Franco
Brett Garwood
Cory Gensterblum
Joseph Giacalone
Jacob Gilhaus
Anthony Giovanni
Rachel Girard
Beau Godkin
Emily Good
Monica Gorgas
Mya Gough
Andre Grayson
Garrett Guthrie
Alyssa Heitkamp
Daniel Henry
Kaiya Herman-Hilker
Kyle Hernandez
Mathew Holmes-Hackerd
Allia Howard
Nicole Huff
Briana Huisken
Claire Jensen
Katherine Johnson
Marylou Johnson
Claire Kalina
Maria Katrantzi
Greg Kearns
Samuel Kepes
Benjamin Kileen
Dahwi Kim
William Kirchen
Ian Kobernick
Emily Kozal
Matthew Krinock
Stefan Leclerc
Rosella LoChirco
Nicholas Ludka
Cydney Martell
Eliza McCall
Katherine McKibbon
Branden Metzler
Joshua Miller
Suzanne Miller
Madison Moote
Zachary Morales
Elizabeth Munoz
Dylan Padget
James Paprocki
Cayla Patterson
John Patton
Bradley Popiel
Nicole Prentice
Zachary Prystash
Erin Radermacher
Zachary Ray
Phillip Ritchie
Scott Roberts
Justin Roop
Matthew Ryder
Paige Sambor
Aaron Schwark
Jacob Scott
Justin Seablom
Anorah Seita
Sharif Shaker
Chase Shelbourne
Alec Sherrill
Gabrielle Shimko
Grace Smith
Adam Snider
Kathleen Sorensen
Sydney Spring
Vethania Stavropoulos
Grant Stille
Shelby Suseland
Matthew Suter
Jacob Sypniewski
Jack Tagget
William Tait
Emma Tardiff
Benjamin Toledo
Alyana Tomlinson
Zachary Tornow
Matt Turton
Eva Ugelow
Madison Vallan
Kaela Van Til
Joshua Vance
David Vanderkloot
Zachary VanFaussien
Mitchell VanKoevering
Travis Veenhuis
John Vinson
Sidney Wall
Jacob Wasko
John Wehr
Alex White
Madeline Woods
Brent Yelton
Julie Zabik
Matthew Zhiss

MLK and “Our Moment”

Danez Smith
Danez Smith

What does the annual celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.–his achievements and his ideas–mean for the present moment, what K students’ might term “our moment?” How should his spirit apply–in imagination, in word, in action–to their now and their future?

These are questions posed by and to students by and to the College’s Intercultural Center. The answers to those questions (both continually developing) will inform Kalamazoo College’s 2017 Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation on January 16, 2017.

As in the past, K’s activities will be part of various city events on that day. The 2017 MLK celebration Kalamazoo-wide theme is “The Transformative Power of a Unified Dream.”

Director of Intercultural Student Life (ISL) Natalia Carvalho-Pinto and students worked together to shape a celebration that creates opportunities to “consider what transformative power and resistance mean for new generations,” says Carvalho-Pinto. The ISL theme for this year’s K events is “Transformative Power and Resistance in the New Century: What Does ‘The Dream’ Look like Today?”

The day will feature four events, beginning with a convocation address by poet Danez Smith (10:50 a.m. in Stetson Chapel). The title of his talk is the same as the theme for K’s events, and it is free and open to the public.

Smith is the award-winning author of [insert] Boy (YesYes Books, 2014) and hands on ya knees (Penmanship Books, 2013), and he is a founding member of the multi-genre, multicultural Dark Noise Collective. His writing has appeared in Poetry, Ploughshares, Beloit Poetry Journal, and Kinfolks, among others.

His poems focus on intersecting matters of race, class, sexuality, faith and social justice, and it is characterized by a power, rhythm and imagery that invites and demands a reimagining of the world.

Smith then will lead a poetry workshop (12:30 p.m. Hicks Banquet Room, lunch provided) that is open to K students only. The workshop–titled “Future Tense: Poetry as Blueprint”–will explore the use of poetry to imagine realistic utopias in the not so distant future, and how those futures can allow us to reverse engineer the steps we would need to take to make them. “By looking at speculative worlds of some of today’s young poets of color,” says Carvalho-Pinto, “the workshop will inspire us toward change, possibility, action, dreaming and building the worlds we deserve.”

At 4 p.m. (gathering at Red Square) K students, faculty and staff will join their counterparts from Western Michigan University to walk to Martin Luther King Jr. Park in downtown Kalamazoo. Transportation back to K’s campus will be provided.

The afternoon’s poetry workshop will culminate at 6:30 p.m. with a reading in the Intercultural Center (Hicks). Students will share relevant writings and reflections–their own and that of others, some perhaps written that day during the workshop–about the day’s theme and celebrations. “The potential power of this event is extraordinary,” says Carvalho-Pinto. “We did this at Ferris [State University], and it was one of my favorite events.” The reading is open to the entire Kalamazoo College community, as is the film that will follow at 7:30 p.m. ISL has tentatively scheduled a screening of The Rosa Parks Story (starring Angela Bassett).

“We’re very excited about this year’s events,” says Carvalho-Pinto, “especially their potential to get us thinking about how what we celebrate on this day should infuse our present and future. And I’m particularly thrilled that Danez Smith will be a part.”

***
if you press your ear to the dirt
you can hear it hum, not like it’s filled

with beetles & other low gods
but like a mouth rot with gospel

& other glories. listen to the dirt
crescendo a boy back.

come. celebrate. this
is everyday. every day

holy. everyday high
holiday. everyday new

year. every year, days get longer.
time clogged with boys. the boys

O the boys. they still come
in droves. the old world

keeps choking them. our new one
can’t stop spitting them out.

-from “summer, somewhere,” by Danez Smith, Poetry, January 2016

Kalamazoo College Senior Faiza Fayyaz Is a YWCA Young Woman of Achievement

Kalamazoo College senior Faiza Fayyaz
Faiza Fayyaz ′13 with one of her students at KRESA Young Adult Program at West Campus school in Kalamazoo.

Kalamazoo College senior Faiza Fayyaz has received a 2013 YWCA Young Women of Achievement Award and will be honored at the 29th annual YWCA Women of Achievement Award Celebration, on Tuesday, May 21, 5:30 p.m. at the Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites in Kalamazoo.

The YWCA Young Women of Achievement Awards are given to high school and college age women in the Kalamazoo community who have records of accomplishment in academic studies and extracurricular activities, have made significant contributions to their school and/or community, demonstrate leadership ability, and exemplify qualities of character and thought consistent with the mission and vision of the YWCA.

Faiza will soon earn her B.A. degree in biology with a minor in psychology and a concentration in health sciences. She has also been a biology research assistant at Western Michigan University. Outside the classroom, Faiza has been active in student organizations Active Minds (focusing on mental health issues among college students) and KDesi (working to preserve and promote South Asian cultures and religions on the K campus and in the surrounding community).

Through the College′s Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for Service Learning, Faiza has also spent many hours engaged with students from the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency (KRESA) Young Adult Program at West Campus school, She has also been engaged in civic activities at Borgess Hospital and in a local physical therapy clinic.

Earlier this month, the YWCA announced that Kalamazoo College trustee Ronda Stryker is its recipient of the Lifetime Woman of Achievement Award.

Why We Play

"Why We Play" 2013 speakers Erran Briggs, Allison Liddane, Alex Gothard, Johanna Kupe, Allison Thomas, Brad Merrit, Jeanne Hess and Rebecca Gray
“Why We Play” 2013 speakers, left-to-right (top), Erran Briggs ’14, Allison Liddane ’13, Alex Gothard ’15, Johanna Kupe ’13, Allison Thomas ’13, Brad Merrit ’13, (bottom) Jeanne Hess, Rebecca Gray ’81.

“Why We Play” was the topic of the Winter Quarter Week Six (Feb. 15) Community Reflection in Stetson Chapel. Co-sponsored by the Kalamazoo College Department of Athletics, the annual Reflection offers a space for K student and alumni athletes to share in the collective stories and songs that capture the spirit of sport, recreation, and joy from their Division-III intercollegiate athletic experiences.

Professor of Physical Education and Head Coach of Volleyball Jeanne Hess opened the reflection before an audience of about 200 people. She read an excerpt from her book, “Sportuality: Finding Joy in the Games,” in which she explains why she thinks student athletes choose play sports. “The spiritual life is a purposeful life, and the ‘sportual’ life is a purposeful and playful life,” she said.

Student athletes Johanna Kupe ’13, Alex Gothard ’15 and Allison Thomas ’13 performed “Solider,” a song by Gavin DeGraw. Kupe said she selected the song after a teammate left the encouraging lyrics on a note in her locker before a volleyball game.

President of the Athletic Leadership Council and two-sport athlete Allison Liddane ’13 spoke about the approaching end of her collegiate athletic experience. “My list of ‘why I play’ could be never ending,” she said. Golfer Brad Merrit ’13 read an essay about the recent death of K’s Head Men’s Golf Coach Steve Tyler. Merrit, who won the MIAA Sportsmanship Award, said Tyler was his reason for playing. “We wanted to make him proud,” he said.

Football player Erran Briggs ’14 spoke about his unique love for the game and Division-III level. “When you allow yourself purely to play because you love it, not because you need it, you experience the game on a new level,” he said.

Rebecca Gray ’81 was the featured alumna speaker. A former basketball and field hockey player, Gray is K’s sole Rhodes Scholar. Speaking fondly of her time as a student athlete, shortly after the passage of Title IX that opened more intercollegiate athletic opportunities to women, Gray said sports continue to enhance her life. “For decades now, playing sports, for me, has been a completely reliable and utterly uncomplicated pleasure,” she said. She added that she looks forward to the day when she is no longer referred to as K’s only Rhodes Scholar, but simply as its first.

Community Reflections offer a unique forum for discussion, worship, performance, and community expression each Friday at 10:50 a.m. (refreshments at 10:30) in Stetson Chapel. The entire campus community and general public are invited. On Friday of Week Seven Feb. 22), the Chapel will host “40 Days of Lent: Preparing for Easter.” This reflection will focus on the traditions, history, and ways in which Christians today celebrate Easter and Lent.

Story and photo by Elaine Ezekiel ’13

What’s Love Got To Do With It?

Willina Cain sings "Wake Up Everybody" while Corrine Taborn accompanies
Willina Cain ’15 sings “Wake Up Everybody” while Corrine Taborn ’13 accompanies.

“What’s Love got to do with it? Anti-Racist Activism in the Creation of Beloved Communities” was the topic of the Winter Quarter Week Four (Feb. 1) Community Reflection in Stetson Chapel, co-sponsored by the Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership (ACSJL) and the Black Student Organization (BSO). The Reflection centered around love as an underlying motivator for social change and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s philosophy of “the beloved community” as an end result of non-violent social change. Members of BSO shared their own spoken word pieces, poems, stories, and facts on the subject of leaders from the African-American movement against racism.

Rob Relief III ’13, president of the Young Men of Color student organization, discussed the 87-year history and original aims of Black History Month. Willina Cain ’15 sang the R&B song “Wake Up Everybody” while Corinne Taborn ’13 accompanied her on piano and sang backup vocals. Rian Brown ’16 spoke about how her identity relates to Black History Month. “My ancestors fought for me to gain the privilege to stand before you today,” she said. “But has their work been completed? I know the answer to that question is ‘No.’” She encouraged audience members to shed their complacency and continue the fight for justice and equality.

Jeffery Washington ’15 read a poem he wrote with the refrain “I Black.” “My light friend says I can’t-be-seen-in-the-night-time black/ I’m too black to find that funny,” he read. “I guess I got a dark sense of humor.” Marquise Griffin ’15 read a reflection on his recent trip to Washington D.C. to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum, and his meditations on Christ’s love, which he discussed at the forum. “Dr. King stressed love when combating hate and racism, violence and discrimination,” he said. Bryce Pearson ’16 read a poem called “The Overlooked King,” reflecting on racism. “They didn’t know who I was/ They don’t know who I am/ And they really have no clue of who I will be,” he read. Brittany King-Pleas ’13 closed the Reflection by saying she hoped the audience left with more questions than answers.

Community Reflections offer a unique forum for discussion, worship, performance, and community expression each Friday at 10:50 a.m. in Stetson Chapel. Refreshments at 10:30. The entire campus community and general public are invited.

The Week Six (Friday Feb. 15) Community Reflection is entitled “Why We Play” and features K student athletes discussion why they love to play Division III athletics. This is an annual event always full of heartfelt passion and humor. Special guest speaker is Rebecca Gray ’81. Currently a research scholar at Duke University, Becky majored in mathematics and played basketball for the Hornets. She is also Kalamazoo College’s only Rhodes Scholar.

Story and photo by Elaine Ezekiel ’13

Weathering Winter

Adventure Living Learning House members Morgan Walker, Grace Manger, Dr. Pat Ponto, Allison Kennedy, Katie Ring and Kira Sandiford ’15.
Being glad, not SAD, are (top row, l-r) Morgan Walker ’15, Grace Manger ’15, (bottom row) Dr. Pat Ponto, Allison Kennedy ’15, Katie Ring ’15, and Kira Sandiford ’15.

“Cold Weather Catharsis” was the topic of Winter Quarter 2013 Week Three (Jan. 25) Community Reflection in Stetson Chapel. Co-sponsored by the Adventure Living Learning House , several speakers shared ideas on how to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), spice up the season, stay active, and release the pent-up energy of winter.

Chaplain Liz Candido ’00 welcomed the students in the audience, whom she called “the few, the proud, the brave.” Student Chaplain and Adventure Housemate, Katie Ring ’15 outlined her Living Learning House’s recipe for adventurous living, which she said can help shake up winter fatigue. Then Counseling Center Director Dr. Pat Ponto defined SAD as “a kind of depression contained in fall and winter and in a specific latitude.” She says one treatment for the seasonal mood swings include light therapy.

David Graham ’14, leader of the Active Minds student organization, spoke about how Kalamazoo College has invested in four light therapy lamps, which students can check out when they’re feeling the winter blues. “Nobody deserves to feel SAD’s potentially debilitating effects,” he said. Allison Kennedy ’15 read a comical list poem addressed to herself, reciting all the ways she would not give into “the buzz kill of winter.” Adventure Housemate Kira Sandiford ’15 spoke about the Kalamazoo Outing Club, of which she is an board member. Sandiford suggested joining the club on a winter escapade of snowshoeing, cross country skiing, ice climbing, or ice fishing. “It’s a wonderful way to combat SAD,” she said. Adventure Housemate Grace Manger ’15 said she suffers from SAD herself, and spoke about how she “unwinds” by performing stunts with Cirque du K, K’s circus club. Morgan Walker ’15, another Adventure Housemate, offered some practical advice to staying positive under what he called “the weight of winter.” Candido closed the event by urging attendees to “find your winter adventure—something to keep you positive.”

Friday Chapel programs are called Community Reflections and offer a unique forum for discussion, worship, performance, and community expression each Friday at 10:50 AM; refreshments at 10:30. The entire campus community and general public are invited. Week Four’s Community Reflection is called “What’s Love got to do with it? Anti-Racist Activism in the Creation of Beloved Communities” which will feature a conversation about love as an underlying motivator for Social change and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s philosophy of the beloved community as an end result of non-violent social change.

Perspectives on a Dream

Community Reflection Participants Mark Dream Speech Anniversary
Top row (l-r), Babli Sinha, Elizabeth Candido ’00; middle row, Marjorie Toshach ’13, Craig Isser ’13; bottom row, Gabrielle Clay ’13, Natalie Cherne ’15.

“A Dream Deferred, A Dream Made Reality? Marking the 50th Anniversary of the ‘I Have a Dream Speech’” was the topic of the Winter Quarter 2013 Week Two (Jan. 18) Community Reflection in Stetson Chapel. Several speakers considered Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy in their own lives at K.

Associate Dean of Students Karen Joshua-Wathel spoke about the popular characterizations of Malcolm X and King. She promoted the Black History 101 Mobile Museum visiting the Weimer K. Hicks Student Center, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Convocation featuring a speech by K alumnus Harvey Hollins, III ’87. <span”>Natalie Cherne ’15 spoke about the gratitude she feels to King. “I had the opportunity to apply to colleges [and] to choose K…because of what Martin Luther King, Jr. did, and that’s amazing,” she said. Chaplain Liz Candido ’00 read a short sermon she wrote about working with a church in south Boston where she witnessed racism while mentoring Dominican teens. She said our collective dreams depend on community and challenging racist aggression. “I suppose we need each other so we can dream new dreams—ones we have yet to imagine.”

Craig Isser ’13 spoke about his education and white privilege at K. “I must keep the white guilt, but also make something good out of it,” he said. Marlene Crandell Francis Assistant Professor of English Babli Sinha then spoke about King’s less widely-known message about ending the pattern of American consumerism, and its relation to peace. Gabrielle Clay ’13 addressed her remarks directly to King, discussing the work remaining to accomplish his dream. “Talking about race and racism has remained an obnoxious pink elephant in the room,” she said. Marjorie Toshach ’13 spoke about joining K’s Black Student Organization as a white woman, and learning to confront her majority status for the first time. Joshua-Wathel retook the stage to offer closing remarks before Candido led the audience in a closing prayer.

Friday Chapel programs are called Community Reflections and offer a unique forum for discussion, worship, performance, and community expression each Friday at 10:50 AM. Refreshments at 10:30. The entire campus community and general public are invited. Theme of Week Three (Jan. 25) Community Reflection is a “Cold Weather Catharsis” which will serve as a forum for ideas on how to combat Seasonal Affective Disorder, spice up your life, stay active, and release the pent-up energy of Winter with the Adventure House and friends!

Photo: (l to r) top row, Babli Sinha, Elizabeth Candido ’00; middle row, Marjorie Toshach ’13, Craig Isser ’13; bottom row, Gabrielle Clay ’13, Natalie Cherne ’15.

Story and photo by Elaine Ezekiel ’13

STEAKholders

7 speakers from “Everyone Has a STEAK in It”
“Everyone Has a STEAK in It” speakers (l-r): Shadae Sutherland ’14, Lanna Lewis (ACSJL), DeAngelo Glaze ’14, Mariah Hennen ’15 (CES), Darwin Rodriguez ’13, Amelia Katanski ’92 (English, Farms to K), and Katherine Rapin ’15 (CES).

“Everyone Has a STEAK in It: Implications of How We Eat at K” was the theme of Winter Quarter 2013 Week One (Jan. 11) Community Reflection in Stetson Chapel. Sponsored by the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Institute for Service-Learning, several K community members spoke about the importance of food as part of the College’s food vendor selection process continuing this quarter.

Migrant Rights Action Civic Engagement Scholar Mariah Hennen ’15 addressed the crowd of more than 100 students and faculty members on the importance of the food vendor selection. “Decisions always have ramifications, and choosing a dining service provider for Kalamazoo College is no exception,” she said. Shadae Sutherland ’14 spoke about her experience of moving to Kalamazoo from Jamaica, where she was used to eating food her family grew and produced. “The food that I have had here tastes quite different from the ones I have had in Jamaica. The flavor is very diminished,” she said. She stressed that an ideal food provider for the cafeteria should offer more options for people with dietary restrictions.

Dining Vendor Selection Committee member DeAngelo Glaze ’14, Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership (ACSJL) Administrative Assistant Lanna Lewis, Associate Professor of English and Farms 2 K faculty advisor Amelia Katanski ’92, Student Commission Vice President Darwin Rodriguez ’13, and Farms to K Civic Engagement Scholar Katherine Rapin ’15 shared their unique perspectives on food justice. By telling stories about their own gastronomic histories from a political, racial, epicurean, genealogical, biological, and cultural standpoint, each speaker encouraged audience members to evaluate their own relationship with food systems in order to participate in the food provider selection process. “We have the institutional buying power to redefine how our food system works,” said Katanski. “We can serve as a leader—an institution that puts our values into action.”

 “Everyone Has a STEAK in It” speakers were (l-r) Shadae Sutherland ’14, Lanna Lewis (ACSJL), DeAngelo Glaze ’14, Mariah Hennen ’15 (CES), Darwin Rodriguez ’13, Amelia Katanski ’92 (English,  Farms to K), and Katherine Rapin ’15 (CES).
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 Two (Jan. 18) Reflection, “A Dream Deferred, a Dream Made Reality? Marking the 50th Anniversary of the “I Have a Dream Speech.”will feature Harvey Hollins III ’87, director of the Office of Urban and Metropolitan Initiatives for the State of Michigan.

Story by Elaine Ezekiel ’13.