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The Fireside Room overflowed with a scholarly audience on October 31 for Trinity’s first-ever Spenser Colloquium. Through the reading of research papers and light-hearted improvisation, students from five Trinity classes and three disciplines celebrated their recent study of The Faerie Queene, the epic poem by Edmund Spenser.
Dr. Bob Rice, professor emeritus of history, served as a spirited moderator. Rice explained the faculty’s goals for the colloquium: educational richness grown by student-faculty combined research, the taking up of texts with Christian hopefulness, interdisciplinary study leading to deeper understanding, and a faithful religious response to the world. Laughter and refreshments were added benefits.
Drs. Mark Jones, professor of English; Dr. Aron Reppmann, associate professor of philosophy; and Dr. Keith Starkenburg, associate professor of theology, worked throughout the summer to prepare their discipline-specific research papers in response to The Faerie Queene.
Their research challenged students to see the same work through three different lenses as they presented:
- “Arthur and Socrates in Faerieland,” by Professor Reppmann
- “Guyon, Knight of Temperance; or, Sir Not Appearing in This Poem,” by Professor Jones
- “Calvinists Who Might Best Be: Edmund Spenser and a Reformed Habit of Being,” by Professor Starkenburg
“The colloquium was the sort of rich, interdisciplinary collaboration that I think could happen only at a place like Trinity,” said Dr. Jones said. “I was pleased to be part of a scholarly conversation involving faculty and students from three different disciplines—not to mention staff members who attended and participants from the Honors Program.”
The event was funded through a collaborative initiative grant from the professional development committee, which hopes the event fostered deeper understanding through inter-disciplinary studies.
Before sending junior nursing students into their first professional clinicals, the nursing department held its annual Commitment to Caring Ceremony on October 14 in the Grand Lobby.
The chairperson of the department, Dr. Joyce Azzaline, opened the ceremony with a welcome in which she challenged the students to see their careers from the perspective of their service to Christ and to “use their hands and hearts for his work.”
Alumna Natalie Buikema ’09 shared her nursing experience over the past four years. She acknowledged that each student would be called to serve in a unique way, and that the ability to fulfill that call comes from God. “Each one of you has something special—and different—to give. God will be your strength, your knowledge, and your comfort in times when you need it.”
Joanna Wigboldy, a representative of the Chaplain’s office, explained the importance of touch as a way to connect and communicate with others. Wigboldy emphasized Jesus’ ministry and the way it modeled how touch can be a source of healing.
After the addresses, students and professors gathered in small circles around the room and joined hands as a blessing was given over the students and the work of their hands.
In her October 28 Diversity Lecture Series address, guest speaker Dr. Rebecca Hernandez of Goshen College said that in order for colleges to truly become more diverse, they need to push beyond hospitality and the “host-guest” relationship with students and embrace a new metaphor, that of an intercultural “world house.”
Hernandez, the associate dean for intercultural development and educational partnerships at Goshen, emphasized the diversity of God’s family and the “many rooms” that exist in the Father’s house.
She said that if colleges invite diversity but students don’t accept the invitation then institutional change needs to happen. Such changes may include tying a vision of diversity to the college’s mission, focusing on hiring, and recognizing the critical roles of leaders who can serve as change agents, although encouraging diversity is the ongoing work of the entire community.
The next lecture
The final lecture this year will be held on Monday, November 18, at 10 a.m. in the Grand Lobby. The College will welcome Dr. Terry Lindsay as he speaks about Diversity on Campus.
The Diversity Lecture Series is open to the public and sponsored by Trinity’s Office of Ethnic Diversity and Multicultural Programs.
Another year and another successful WorldView series educates, entertains, and inspires hundreds at Trinity Christian College.
Screwtape in Person
Actor Tom Key starred in a unique one-man play, “Screwtape in Person,” in the Marg Kallemeyn Theatre on October 7. Key’s performance brought C.S. Lewis’s book, The Screwtape Letters, to life, giving audience members a look at humanity from the perspective of hell. This was Key’s second performance at Trinity. As part of the 2010 WorldView Series, Key performed “C.S. Lewis on Stage.”
115 Voices Raised
The Apollo Chorus, the premier volunteer chorus of the Chicagoland area, performed October 14. The group of more than 115 members entertained and inspired a full house of Trinity students, faculty, staff, and community members. The audience enjoyed several pieces based on poetry and selections from the Messiah.
“Trinity is like a tree trunk.”
Reverend Brenda Girton-Mitchell, J.D., director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the U.S. Department of Education, discussed the importance of service, at her WorldView presentation on October 21.
“Trinity is like a tree trunk, and others are like branches helping to serve the community,” said Girton-Mitchell, in reference to the College’s participation in the President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge. For more than two years, Trinity students and students from local Muslim faith communities have worked side by side on improvements to the Cal Sag Trail.
Sex and the Soul
Donna Freitas, author of Sex and the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance and Religion on America’s College Campuses, shared the results of her extensive research project, which included conducting hundreds of interviews and polling thousands of students in evangelical, Catholic, public, and nonreligious private colleges.
While students in the other categories appear to be “training themselves” to be ambivalent about sex, said Freitas, students in evangelical colleges consistently consider sexuality within the framework of their faith and religion.
The fourth and final 2013 WorldView event, “Sex and the Soul” by author Donna Freitas, drew an intergenerational audience, including many college students, professors, and community members.
Freitas shared the results of her extensive research project, which included conducting hundreds of interviews and polling thousands of students in four college categories: evangelical, Catholic, public, and nonreligious private. Her research found that evangelical Christian college students differ from the other colleges on the connection between sexuality and spirituality.
Freitas explained the “hook-up” culture that dominates many college campuses, mainly those outside of the evangelical category. While students in the other categories appear to be “training themselves” to be ambivalent about sex, said Freitas, students in evangelical colleges consistently consider sexuality within the framework of their faith and religion.
Findings from Freitas’ research are based on 2600 online surveys, 112 in-person interviews, and 108 journals.
- 37% of evangelical college students said that chastity is valued on campus, compared with 0% of all other college types.
- 36% of non-evangelical college students said they were “fine” with hook-ups, though few said hooking up made them happy.
- 45% of students at Catholic and 36% at nonreligious private and public schools say their peers are too casual about sex.
- Of participants from Catholic, public, and nonreligious private schools, 41% of the students hooking up felt profoundly upset about their behavior.
About Donna Freitas
Donna Freitas is the author of Sex and the Soul: Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance and Religion on America’s College Campuses, published by Oxford University Press in 2008. Her follow-up title is The End of Sex (Basic Books).
Freitas has written for The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and Newsweek, and she has appeared on NPR, “The Today Show,” and other news media outlets.
Freitas has been a professor at Boston University in the department of religion and also at Hofstra University in their Honors College. She also writes children’s novels for Scholastic, Harper Collins, and FSG. She lives in Brooklyn.
A new agreement between Trinity and Moraine Valley Community College provides a seamless path for students planning to transfer to Trinity.
The Trinity-Moraine Admissions Collaboration (T-MAC) Agreement, signed by Trinity’s President Steven Timmermans, Ph.D., and Moraine’s President Sylvia Jenkins, Ph.D. on October 23, offers transfer students a choice of collaborative program options in addition to other benefits, including:
- academic advising prior to transfer
- scholarship award of at least $4,000/year for eligible students
- application for additional need-based financial assistance
- waiving of the Trinity application fee
Collaborative program options have also been developed under the agreement.
One option allows students to earn a professional counseling degree in just five years of starting their degree at Moraine. Students first earn associate and bachelor’s degrees in psychology in three years, then, depending on eligibility and meeting entrance requirements, immediately enter Trinity’s master of arts in counseling psychology program.
The two colleges also revised the transfer agreement that leads to a bachelor’s degree in Trinity’s Adult Studies business program. This ensures that the courses students take at both institutions are coordinated and will lead to degree completion.
An additional collaborative program enables students to complete an associate degree with a psychology major at Moraine, then transfer to Trinity to complete a bachelor’s degree with a major in cognitive and speech development and a minor in speech and communication sciences.
“I’m pleased to have entered into this partnership with Moraine Valley Community College, for it ensures our two institutions make it easy for students who begin their studies at Moraine to understand, each step of the way, what is needed for their ultimate transfer to Trinity,” said Timmermans.
Participants in Trinity’s Seasoned Adult Learning at Trinity (SALT) spent the morning of October 8 learning about a growing local charity. The event was held in the Van Namen Recital Hall and was part of the new SALT Breakfast Club.
SALT program development coordinator, Ruth De Bruyn, designed the SALT Breakfast Club to help introduce members to the many organizations that need support and give members an opportunity to serve in their communities.
“Senior citizens tend to be the forgotten generation, yet they have a deep desire to be purposeful and to continue to remain active in society,” De Bruyn said. “There are many wonderful organizations and missions that are looking for people with time to volunteer, and seniors can fill this need.”
Guest speaker Doreen DeBoer, of Tinley Park, Illinois, founded All God’s People after seeing the needs of the homeless in downtown Chicago. The charity provides more than 200 homeless people with a meal once a month, clothing, haircuts, and basic hygienic supplies, and seeks to let the love of Christ be evident to those they serve. Through these actions, DeBoer hopes that All God’s People will enrich lives, build relationships, and create opportunity.
DeBoer received so many clothing donations that her basement storage area was no longer sufficient. Her daughter nominated her for “Kevin Grace Save My Space,” a special segment on Chicago’s ABC 7 daytime show “Windy City Live.” DeBoer won, and received an updated storage and preparation area to help her continue the work she does with All God’s People.
Professor Susan Buechele, assistant professor of nursing, volunteers with All God’s People and feels blessed through her time serving the homeless. “We pray with those that are going through an especially rough time and try to encourage them,” said Buechele. “I deeply value the work Doreen started because through this ministry Christ’s love has been shown to so many people in need.”
In the time since the breakfast, many SALT members have spent time sorting donations for All God’s People.
Visit http://allgodspeoplechicago.org/ for more information on how to volunteer.
Visit https://www.trnty.edu/au-salt.html to learn about upcoming SALT events.
In the English department’s new “Mondays at 10” sessions, students in English 103 with Dr. Michael Vander Weele ’73, professor of English, are learning from the experiences of Trinity alumni who have brought writing from the classroom into their various careers. English faculty hope to reinforce that good writing skills benefit students as they enter any career field and can open up opportunity for job advancement.
In planning Mondays at 10, Vander Weele sought to bring other voices into perspective for students, while deepening the thinking on how writing has an impact on a career path. By inviting alumni to share their post-graduation experiences, the department gives current students a glance into how the skills fostered at Trinity will serve them in their vocations.
The final session on October 21 in the Marg Kallemeyn Theatre welcomed alumna Bethany Eizenga ’11 who spoke on “Writing for Others.” She discussed the senior project “Voices of Redemption,” a book she co-authored with Monica Brands ’11.
The three previous sessions included the following speakers and topics:
- Dr. Mackenzi Huyser ’98, professor of social work, and Dr. Abby Schrotenboer, assistant professor of biology, spoke on “The Importance of Place.”
- Assistant Professor of Business Rick Riddering and alumnus Russ Hollander ’71 discussed “Writing in the Professions.”
- Attorney David De Jong ’73 lectured on “What do we learn from story?” and discussed how his skill in writing helped advance his career in the law profession.
As part of its fall tour, Chicago’s Christian talk radio station WYLL 1160 AM visited campus on October 10 in the Art and Communication Center. On air personality Karl Clauson interviewed students and professors during the two-hour program about their Trinity experiences and the benefits of a Trinity education.
Clauson led lively discussions with President Steve Timmermans, Ph.D.; Professor of Art and Design John Bakker; Dr. Lori Scrementi, dean for Adult Studies and Graduate Programs; Student Association President Nate Tameling of Burr Ridge, Illinois; senior Brooke Wigboldy of Tinley Park, Illinois; and sophomore Halie Wisse of Oostburg, Wisconsin.
Hear the podcast! 180 Fall Tour: Trinity Christian College
While Timmermans and colleagues shared the strengths of the academic programs and the College’s initiatives to extend learning through resources and partnerships in Chicago, students touted their majors, the campus facilities, and the Trinity community.
“As soon as I stepped onto this campus, I felt like I was a part of it,” Wisse said during her interview. “I’m part of the Trinity family. President Timmermans is a very active president. He’s frequently at student events and is a part of so many things on campus.”
Wisse also talked about the “great relationships” she enjoys with her roommates, her residence director, and her professors. “I feel very blessed by my professors. They get to know me and help me grow.”
Is someone at Trinity having a birthday? Do you want to say “I love you” or “I’m thinking of you”? Say it with cake!
The Trinity Women’s Organization (formerly Trinity Women’s Guild) offers a unique service to friends and families wanting to provide a special treat to students or other members of the Trinity community.
The Trinity Women’s Organization will deliver special occasion cakes or cookie cakes on campus. The $25 price includes delivery and a card in which the giver will be acknowledged or may remain anonymous. Proceeds from the sales help support Trinity’s scholarship fund.
Join the Trinity Women’s Organization (TWO)
All women—from recent graduates to moms and grandmothers of students to staff members—are welcome to join the Trinity Women’s Organization. Meetings are held at 7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of the month in the 2nd floor lounge of Alumni Hall. Thank you!
For more information, email TWO@trnty.edu.