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New Photogallery added May 23. Special thanks to Dan Jongetjes ’10 for sharing his photography.
Commencement welcomed families of 185 traditional and 58 Adult Studies graduates to campus on Saturday, May 14, 2011. The speaker for the traditional ceremony was Dr. Calvin Seerveld, one of the original faculty members of Trinity Christian College. Dr. John Hoekstra, former director of Trinity’s Adult Studies Education program, addressed the Adult Studies graduates in the afternoon ceremony.
Commencement ceremonies included granting emeriti faculty status to both Dr. John Hoekstra and Dr. Randall Voorn.
Commencement program—Traditional
Processing this year were Trinity’s first faculty and students from the College’s first class, the Heritage Class of 1961, robed in blue regalia.
Joy Meyer ’78, assistant professor of education and parent of Greg Meyer ’11 of South Holland, Illinois, gave the invocation.
Dr. Calvin Seerveld’s address, “Graduating to ‘Glocal’ Martyrdom,” related the idea of biblically-formed followers of Christ developing “a cosmic global vision and a humbled sense of local responsibility in a united (bifocal)‘glocal’ perspective and task.”
The Commencement litany was delivered by Student Association President Jason Giddings ’11 of Pella, Iowa.
During the presentation of diplomas, there was a time of remembrance for Giselle Charissah McComb, of Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, who passed away on December 28, 2010. Dr. Michael DeVries, professor of psychology, spoke in her honor. : Giselle’s parents Michael and Janice McComb accepted her diploma.
The graduates were welcomed to their new alumni status by Kevin Lubbers ’01, president of the Alumni Board. The closing prayer was offered by Derek Woods, father of senior Velvet Woods of Chicago.
Read Dr. Calvin Seerveld’s address, “Graduating to ‘Glocal’ Martyrdom”.
Commencement program—Adult Studies
President Steven Timmermans, Ph.D., greeted the Commencement guests in the afternoon ceremony. Jacqueline Moses ’05, coordinator of Adult Studies Education-Chicago, gave the invocation. The Commencement litany was delivered by Jeffrey J. Heimer ’11.
In his address, Dr. John Hoekstra encouraged the Adult Studies education majors to go forth, make a difference in the lives of each and every one of their future students, and to answer the call to “Serve with Excellence.” Read Dr. Hoekstra’s address, “Called to Serve.”
The graduates were welcomed to their new alumni status by Travis Bandstra ’06, director of alumni relations. The closing prayer was offered by Chaplain Willis Van Groningen, Ph.D.
About Calvin Seerveld, Ph.D.
Dr. Calvin Seerveld was among the original faculty members at Trinity Christian College when classes met for the first time in October 1959. Seerveld taught philosophy from 1959-72; his chapel talks, given throughout the years, were collected in Take Hold of God and Pull. He was presented with an Honorary Alumni Award from Trinity in 2005 and was distinguished by having Trinity’s new art gallery bear his name (2009).
About John Hoekstra, Ed.D.
Dr. John Hoekstra has served in the field of education for 46 years, 11 at Trinity and 35 in the public schools in Blue Island, Illinois. During his tenure in Blue Island, he worked as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, and assistant superintendent. After retiring from the district, Hoekstra followed his calling in education to Trinity Christian College where he has served as the director of Adult Studies Education for over 11 years.
Called to Serve
Dr. John Hoekstra
Adult Studies Commencement, May 14, 2011
President Timmermans, Provost Rudenga, Faculty, Family, Friends and most importantly Graduates; I’m honored to have this opportunity to address you.
Graduates, this commencement ceremony officially celebrates your successful completion of the Trinity Christian College Adult Studies-Education Program. Your diligence and hard work have brought you to this point; you are teacher candidates, and soon will be certified as teachers in the State of Illinois. You have earned the right to join a profession to which there is no equal.
You have been called to serve and are now prepared to answer that call. I trust that for many years to come you will experience the deep satisfaction of knowing that you have positively impacted the lives and futures of the students entrusted to you, that you had an impact on your students’ growth as human beings and that you played a significant role in helping your students reach their potential.
Most of you started the Adult Studies-Education Program at the beginning of September 2009. All of you came to Trinity because you had a goal, a dream to become a teacher. Your reasons for selecting Trinity varied. Many of you came because you had heard positive things about the Trinity program, some of you came because Trinity promised to offer a program in a Christian environment, perhaps you came to finally realize your life-long dream of becoming a teacher, some of you indicated that you needed the accelerated program because, and I quote: “at my age I need to complete a program as quickly as possible.” However, the overriding reason you came, and you’ve expressed this in various ways, is that you want to make a difference in the lives of students.
Some of you came not particularly proud of your previous college performance; you voiced concerns about juggling the responsibilities of family and jobs and meeting all the course requirements in the Adult Studies Program. But you came to Trinity with a commitment to successfully meet all the requirements for becoming a certified teacher.
When you first saw the demanding grading scale utilized by the Trinity Education Department, you worried, because after all, your grades would need to be posted on the refrigerator along with the report cards of your children. But you’ve met the challenge, and seeing all your gold cords, you have indeed met the challenge successfully.
For about sixteen months you attended a four-hour class session almost every week. You learned how to juggle family, job and school responsibilities. Some of you rushed here right from work, hoping that the snacks brought by members of your cohort would keep you going until 10 o’clock. Maybe you had to make sure your children had dinner before you came and perhaps you had to make sure the baby sitter was in place. You learned what it means to be in an accelerated program, every five or six weeks you started a new course. You soon discovered that you had to make significant room in your already busy schedule for course assignments and textbook readings. I know that at least some of you at times had little sleep. But you persevered!
You learned about the history and the influences that have shaped American education. You became acquainted with the wonderful technology available to teachers today and you know how to integrate the technology into your teaching for the benefit of your students. You’ve learned how to plan for instruction through preparing seemingly endless lesson and unit plans. You know that without effective classroom management, optimum teaching and learning will not take place. You understand the importance of establishing positive working relationships with the parents of your students, and with other teachers and school administrators. You understand the inclusion of special needs students into regular classrooms; you are ready to do your part in RTI, the response to intervention for students, who are not progressing as necessary. You know how to make accommodations for your students, and you know how to differentiate instruction.
While you were going through the Adult Studies Program you were forced to reflect on most everything you did, and as a result, you have become reflective practitioners.
The Trinity Christian College Mission Statement in part reads:
“All programs are grounded on a core of foundational studies that address the enduring issues of human experience and teach students to explore and apply the implications of a Reformed world-and-life view to all areas of learning, living and working. Students are encouraged to evaluate their lives in relationship to God, to others, and to all creation.”
You’ve learned that it is your personal worldview that influences how you interact and approach your students. It is that worldview, which will directly influence everything you do as a teacher.
Believe that every child entrusted to you deserves your very best…even the student who brings nothing to like.
The last seventeen weeks have been demanding for you. As a student teacher you learned firsthand that excellent teaching consumes an extraordinary amount of your time, that at times every ounce of energy you could muster was consumed. But you survived; you experienced the thrill of knowing that you did indeed impact your students’ learning.
You now have a much clearer understanding of your strengths and you know the areas that may require some additional work on your part. I trust that all of you have experienced what one of you wrote a few weeks ago:
“Hey, I think I can actually do this,” and “When I left school today, I felt like a teacher.”
Reaching this milestone has to give you a true sense of accomplishment. With your hard work you have earned today’s celebration. Your family and friends are celebrating with you; perhaps they’re hoping that now you’ll have more time for them again.
But while you’re experiencing the joy of completing a demanding portion of your journey, you may also be experiencing some anxiety, some insecurity, and some ambivalence about what the future will bring.
You’re wondering about when and where you will find a teaching position. You’ve heard the news about teacher layoffs in some places, you know about the budget issues some school districts are experiencing. You know that many aspects of public education are under close scrutiny. The influence of teacher unions is certainly being challenged. Teacher pension systems will likely be changed. The disparities in education, which have been a reality for too long, are once again a focus for many, including politicians. And surely, the quality of a child’s education should not be determined by where the child was born.
Public schools in the United States will not remain the same. The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education School Act promises to include significant changes. School funding is likely to change; parent choice and the charter school movement continue to gain momentum. Merit pay recognition for excellent teachers will likely become a reality during your teaching career. We know that the quality and expertise of the teacher influences the achievement of students to a large degree. While teacher excellence is a growing concern, the reality is that there are ineffective teachers, teachers who are actually hurting students, in too many classrooms. Teacher tenure as we know it will probably not continue to exist.
Knowing all of this, rest assured that God has a plan for you. Know that there are signs of improvement for the economy. Know that new crops of students will continue to come. Know that teachers will continue to leave the profession or retire, and know that there will always be a need for excellent teachers.
Years ago, the American Humorist, Erma Bombeck, wrote a syndicated newspaper column titled Teaching the 3 R’s – plus the rest of alphabet. Perhaps some of you remember her words from your Introduction to Education class, Irma wrote:
“Welcome to teaching, Miss Stevenson. Your mission is to teach 26 first-graders how to read. You will be reinforced by every modern bit of technology, including visuals and computers. You will have the confidence of parents, support of administration and love of the children. Oh, just one thing. You won’t forget to instill good nutrition habits, teach the gifted, the neurologically impaired, the emotionally disturbed, and develop civic responsibility, will you? And check for head lice, make sure they have a hot breakfast, collect milk money and arrange their transportation to and from school. Did I mention eye testing and shots and instruction of first aid procedures? It goes without saying you will provide sex education – in a tasteful way, of course. And you’ll have to make time to build economic awareness, assist in bladder control, stress bilingual development and eliminate sex discrimination.
Just be glad you aren’t in secondary education. They have to teach kids how to drive a car, counsel them in their career, solve alcohol and drug abuse problems and counsel them in pregnancy.
You’re fortunate. All you have is bicycle safety, building self worth and respect, and instilling a sense of patriotism. All we expect from you is to give the public what they want – a back-to-basics education. Good luck, Miss Stevenson.
Miss Stevenson? Miss Stevenson!
No one wants to teach kids how to read anymore.”
Graduates, with all you know about the difficulties teachers face, with all you know about the challenges you will need to meet head on, with knowing the tremendous effort and time it takes to do the job well, with knowing that your efforts will not always be valued and appreciated, go and answer God’s call to serve. Whether you teach in a wealthy suburban school, a high needs or inner-city school, go and love your students, and give each one of them your very best. Go and make a difference.
May your students someday refer to you as the teacher they gratefully remember for truly having impacted their lives in a positive way. Serve with the prayer from Deuteronomy 32:2:
May my teaching drop like the rain, my speech condense like the dew; like gentle rain on grass, like showers on new growth.
Go and answer your call to serve and “Serve with Excellence.”
Graduating to Glocal Martyrdom
Dr. Calvin Seerveld
Tradition Student Commencement, May 14, 2011
The wise person in the Older Testament biblical book of Ecclesiastes answers the question “Is a deathdate better than a birthday?” by saying, “Yes! Entering a home touched by grief is better than walking into a house toasting champagne, because death is the conclusion of every man and woman, and when the living (face it), they have to take it to heart” (7:2).
Is a graduation day from Trinity Christian College better than the day you entered as a freshman or fresh woman?
It depends, let’s say, on whether one faces what is happening to you today.
Georges Rouault’s bittersweet print, “Il serait si doux d’aimer” (1914-48), “It would be so sweet to love,” shows a mother tenderly gesturing with her extended arm outward to where the nestling child needs to go, to places where the protecting love of the older generation is traded in for circumstances less safe, where you cannot, it seems, be your childlike self, love and be loved, without getting trampled to competitive death.
I do not mean to do a variation on the old commencement bromide of “Okay, fellows, now you are going to go out into the real world!”
No, the real world of opportunities and failure, of disappointments and acts of kindness, have been present inside your Trinity education too. You do not escape sin and blessing in daily action by going to a Christian college. However, if you have been an actual student, instead of majoring in extra-curricular affairs, you have enjoyed the wonderful gift at Trinity of an “academic” fix on your activity.
That is, you can err in a biology lab dissection experiment without killing somebody; you can be wrong in a theology class without being declared a heretic; you can do musical, mathematical, basketball exercises before you face the test of execution; you are given time to “practice” teaching and not be fully responsible yet for the lives of young learning children. The college years are a wonderful time to make mistakes, because they can be corrected by teachers in this “academic” training setting of trust.
There is less leeway for bad consequences in botched trial-and-error raising of your children, in a failed medical diagnosis or surgical activity, or in implementing unwise commercial decisions. The protecting cover of an “academic holding position” (like a circling airplane needing to wait to land at O’Hare) goes when you graduate from Trinity. [That’s why anybody who continues on to “graduate” studies must be wary of doing so just to avoid facing direct life responsibilities of landing, because “academics” can dry up and be good for nothing in God’s world, unless they envelop their research and pick priorities with a holy spirit of Wisdom.]
So, you are graduating, prepared by Trinity’s solid educational program in the tradition of the historic Christian Reformation of Martin Luther and Jean Calvin, and you are called by God, I propose, to “glocal martyrdom.”
What does that mean?
“Glocal” is a fairly new English word which combines “global” and “local”–“glocal.” Biblically formed followers of Jesus Christ, from whatever Christian tradition, develop a cosmic global vision and a humbled sense of local responsibility in a united (bifocal) glocal perspective and task. “God did not send God’s Son into the cosmos in order to condemn the cosmos, but in order that the whole cosmos (=environment, plants, animals, society of humans) be saved by God’s Son” (John 3:17). And, said the resurrected Jesus to his prospective disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you all to be witnesses of me, (of my bringing in the Reign of God, both locally) in Jerusalem, all of Judea, Samaria–that is, Chicago, mid-Western USA–to the very ends of the earth–Europe, Ecuador, Asia, Australia” (cf. Acts 1:8,3).
Glocal martyrdom: we do not have to save the world. The triune God fully revealed in the historical Jew Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit will see to that. We who are “Christians” in more than name only have to be faithful, obedient witnesses locally first of all, actually practicing, living the Lord’s merciful just Rule acoming over the earth, be bringing shalom to all creatures on earth under the sun. Μαρτυριον in Newer Testament Greek means “witness.” Martyrdom means “giving a testimony…that could cost you your livelihood, your life.”
Is that my recommendation to you who will be graduates within the hour?
Scottish poet Robbie Burns, you probably know, has that famous poem, “To a louse, on seeing one on a lady’s bonnet at church.” In the last stanza are the lines:
“O wad some Power the giftie gie us, / To see oursels as ithers see us!”
Oh, would some Power give us the gift to see ourselves as others see us!
From his pew sitting behind the lady decked out in her Sunday best, the poet noticed a dirty “ugly, creepin blasted wonner” of a louse crawling over the fancy fine clothes—
“How daur ye set your fit upon her– / Sae fine a lady?”
But the moral the poet settles for is that if we could see ourselves with others’ eyes, it would free us from many a blunder, foolish notions, fashionable airs in dress, way of life, and “ev’n devotion!”
Do you know how others in the globalized world see us educated, graduated Americans?
In 1967, just before the so-called “Seven Day War” in which Israel swiftly demolished Egyptian military forces and took over the Sinai Peninsula, my wife and I were traveling in Egypt with a German archaeological group, speaking German, passing for Germans, since Americans were not loved during that time of Secretary of State Foster Dulles. Our Egyptian guide, at the Aswan Dam site, which the Russians were now building since America had abruptly pulled out, apparently told a group of young Egyptian men hanging around, “There are a couple of Americans here.” So they came over, faced us: “Why you no like Nasser!?” As we talked, they asked to see our American passport. I showed it to them, even let the leader hold it for a brief moment. I saw from his fixed, fascinated stare what that American passport meant to him, even though we were an enemy: Power! Prosperity! Work and Happiness! practically unimaginable for his stymied generation. And he was holding this pure gold ticket in his hand!
That American Dream of ivory palaces in the sky was brilliantly pictured by Thomas Cole’s four-part series, Voyage of Life. This is the soul of the painting Youth (1842), setting out to reach the holy grail of life, liberty, in the pursuit of happiness guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, blessed by his guardian angel on the shore. The Idealist aspiration colours much of American cultural history, and resonates with peoples throughout the world. Jules Breton’s sentimental The Song of the Lark (1884) was the most popular painting at the Chicago Art Institute during the widespread depression of the 1930’s, probably because it gilds the barefoot working poor with a halo of sunrise light and imagined, inspirational bird song–an utterly unreal escape for the urban unemployed or those “blessed” with menial assembly line drudgery.
An underside to how others see us with an American passport is this mural painted by graduate students on the wall reserved for each graduating class at the Rands Africaans Universiteit in Johannesburg, South Africa, which I photographed in 1992, almost 20 years ago. It depicts student hijinks, but up in the far corner is a sad comment about us and the Viet Nam expedition and subsequent military interventions where the stars in “The stars and stripes forever” march slide down into crosses on graveyards and the Statue of Liberty becomes a stalking Grim Reaper. Without making a political comment about the invasion of Iraq and Superpower America’s embroilment in the killing fields of Afghanistan and Pakistan today, I am just showing you how certain others see the lice on our well-cut and Idealistic clothes.
The Trinity registrar wrote me that you twenty-year-old graduates are “ready to take on the world.” If your eyes are open glocally, you know the world at large is distraught and speckled with violent abuse. Not just God’s earthquakes and tsunamis in Japan, Chile, Haiti, Indonesia–California and British Columbia, Canada are still due–but human wars over clean drinking water and boundaries, life-and-death questions like “Can we dispense generic drugs to the poor who are sick unto death? Who has the right to pack a gun? Can anybody immigrate into `the land of the free and the home of the brave’?” What will your Trinity Christian College graduate glocal witness be in (American) society?
Trinity art professor Dayton Castleman gives a good imaginative example when he witnesses in an old God-forsaken stone penitentiary outside Philadelphia with a very thick steel pipe that threads its way up and down corridors and right through stone walls surfacing out into the prison exercise yard where it finally scales the impassible wall: once over on the other side, the blood red pipe (not a silver lining!) multiplies into a seven-fold set of organ pipes trumpeting a “Hallelujah! Freedom!” chorus.
I find this site specific art piece called “The End of the Tunnel” (2005) to be a fine corrective to the insatiable ambition integral to achieving “the (Idealistic) American Dream,” because the bright red pipe expresses a more humbled search, through obstacles, with a patient hope for finding the Way to become free…to praise, and thank God. The glocal martyrdom the LORD God calls us to, also you graduates as well as your parents and friends here present, is to give hope in service, not rise to success, to heal the world, not bomb it–sometimes I wish I were a Mennonite–to rehabilitate prisoners, not neglect them into incorrigibility, to give priority to the handicapped, not push them aside. The task Scripture clearly posits is: “bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).
I
do not know you students, but I know personally many of your professors in philosophy, sociology, art, theology, literature, psychology, communications, chemistry, and I know they have articulated and embodied, along with their colleagues, the Reformational heritage Trinity stands for–“capturing every notion (and practice) to make them obedient to Christ” (II Corinthians 10:4-5). That is how you students have been trained. And my final point is that that yoke is light! It fits well over your graduating shoulders, even if it makes you feel maladjusted in our Darwinian survival-of-the-fittest society. Glocal martyrdom is not a “downer”: with the worldwide vision of this being God’s world, to which Jesus Christ will return! Joyfully give away your life to enact locally the peace of the Lord.
You see, I have eaten in the Trinity cafeteria; the amazing surplus of good food there is staggering, available for the taking (once you have paid the piper). How can anyone who eats this luxuriously daily ever understand, I asked myself, what “hunger” is? I heard an earlier Trinity graduate, Elvia Rodriguez, say last month in a meeting here, that when she first came onto Trinity’s campus, it seemed like an “Enchanted forest.” Well, I hope you graduates will have the eyes to see that Chicago itself is…a burning bush where God says, “Take off your shoes and make my presence known on the streets here, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.”
When you business graduates walk past this city street, resolve again to open up thrifty commercial deals to the liberating profit of generosity for the neighbour. This mural-decorated building in the Pilsen district downtown (photographs taken by Professor John Bakker) is a hostel for the homeless–no home to go to!–for the unemployed who are hungry, destitute, who are losing their human dignity, while across the street a non-Trinity-graduated real estate developer has built a colourless, pricey condominium building looking like a formidable, unfriendly bunker.
When you education majors become teachers, or even principals, persist in giving the difficult or autistic unruly child in class, the extra mile of love, though it wear you out.
When you nursing graduates become overworked hospital caregivers or serve in an African village without adequate medical supplies, remember the sculpture by Britt Wikstrom called Caritas (2006) (which Professor Michael Vander Weele along with another Trinity graduate, Dr. Nicholas Vogelzang got commissioned by the University of Chicago hospital downtown; it stands in their cancer ward waiting area) where a younger man simply helps a more feeble older person put on his coat, for which the elderly fellow, as if he were Jesus (cf. Matthew 25:31-46), gives a look of quiet, bewondering gratitude.
Your graduation day from Trinity, I dare say, with Ecclesiastes, is better than your matriculating entrance day, because your profs, as a community, have spent endless hours protecting you by faithfully correcting reports and exams, so that you are now more readied to accept the glocal martyrdom of disciplined living and embodying the compassionate holy spirited rule of Jesus Christ which is acoming.
May you joy in this day, graduates, and go in peace.
This spring marked the first formal celebration of Trinity’s Vander Velde Junior Scholars program.
Students and alumni, including current and former scholars, gathered for dinner and conversation with faculty mentors and other professors last month. The event was hosted by the Honors Committee.
Also, attending the event was Dr. George Vander Velde ’63, vice president for campus development, who instituted the Maurice Vander Velde Junior Scholar Award in honor of his father.
In just over the past decade, the Vander Velde scholars program has supported some 28 projects of original scholarly research in the exact sciences and some 31 projects of original scholarly research in the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts.
Dr. Aron Reppmann ’92, professor of philosophy, delivered the keynote address, reflecting on ways in which faith is important to scholarship: receiving the faith; sustaining the faith; and testifying in faith.
After expounding on these three points, Reppmann concluded that emphasizing both overt and not so overt Christian pedigrees in visions of Christian scholarship are “crucial to the life of a Christian intellectual community, in which we stand together with one another’s work, across disciplines, across methodologies, across the years, to affirm that all of our scholarly work is called to be a testimony to our Lord, the God of heaven and earth.”
Congratulations to the 2011-12 Vander Velde Junior Scholars and their faculty mentors:
Brian Hofman ’13 of Waupun, Wisconsin, and Trevor Schaap ’13 of Lansing, Illinois, (mathematics), working with Drs. Mandi Maxwell and Sharon Robbert: “The Black Chamber”
Katrina Hopman ’12 of Orland Park, Illinois, (biology), working with Dr. Clay Carlson: “Histone Modifications in Mesenchymal Stem Cells”
Adam Perez ’12 of Racine, Wisconsin, (music), working with Dr. Mark Peters: “Music, Theology, and Christian Worship: A Study of Hillsong”
Alaina Ver Meer ’13 of Leighton, Iowa, (biology), working with Dr. Bob Boomsma: “Investigating the Effects of Environmental Conditions on MSC Differentiation”
Capturing kids’ imaginations outside of the pages of his Newbery Honor books, guest author Gary Schmidt told stories to a fascinated audience of first through eighth graders at Trinity’s annual Young Authors Festival.
Students from several area Christian grade schools visited campus this month to celebrate their achievements and expand their passion for writing and reading.
The morning opened with a time of singing in the Ozinga Chapel. Afterward, the children, accompanied by Trinity student volunteers, were divided into groups and participated in three sessions, including small group discussions, Trinity student improv performances, and the chance to hear from the author.
“Stories are about making you and your readers ‘bigger,’” said Schmidt to a group of sixth through eighth grade aspiring authors. “Do it well.”
Schmidt has written many books for young readers, including the Newbery Honor Book The Wednesday Wars, First Boy, and The Wonders of Donal O’Donnell. His novel Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy was both a Newbery Honor Book and a Printz Honor Book. Schmidt shares his expertise and his love for writing with students at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he is a professor of English.
The Young Authors Festival, in its 21st year, is organized by the combined efforts of education professors and other dedicated committee members.
When Eric Robbert ’13 of LaGrange, Illinois, spent his spring break helping repair a hurricane damaged home in Mississippi…
And when Victoria Penley ’13 of Bradley, Illinois, provided basic medical care to orphans in Ecuador during Interim…
And when Sharon Chun ’11 of Northbrook, Illinois, tutored children at Harvey’s Restoration Ministries, they weren’t being driven by the hope of recognition or presidential awards but by their Christian call to service.
Hundreds of Trinity students like these logged 21,504 hours of service during the 2009-10 academic year. Because of their work, and the ongoing volunteer service students commit each year to local and overseas organizations, Trinity Christian College has again been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll (2010) by the Corporation for National and Community Service.
“The experience of volunteering at Restoration Ministries helped me to see the positive outcomes that result from consistent figures in the children’s lives,” said Chun. “The children have also taught me a lot by helping me to have more patience and love. Every time their innocence shines past their tough exterior, it reminds me of why I continue to go.”
The Honor Roll recognizes higher education institutions that reflect the values of exemplary community service and achieve meaningful outcomes in their communities. Trinity’s selection to the Honor Roll is recognition from the federal government of the College’s commitment to service and civic engagement locally and globally.
According to Trinity’s Office of Community Partnerships and Service Learning, the service hours were completed through service-learning classes, service spring break trips and Interim courses, service committee and other student-led projects, and the Midwest Campus Compact Citizen-Scholars (M3C) Fellowship program, in which students complete 300 hours of community service and receive an education award.
Students regularly volunteer at many local organizations that partner with the College, including Restoration Ministries, Roseland Christian Ministries, and Elim Christian Services.
This year’s Commencement festivities had a unique feel as alumni from Trinity’s first graduating class returned to campus for the first-ever Heritage Class Reunion.
In October 1959, 37 students enrolled at Trinity; 30 attended for a year or more and became Trinity’s first alumni and the Class of 1961.
On May 14, the College was delighted to welcome 11 alumni to the reunion. Joining them and their guests were three of the founding faculty members, Drs. Derke Bergsma, Cal Seerveld, and Robert Vander Vennen.
The weekend began with a tour of campus provided by Vice President for Student Development Ginny Carpenter, followed by a dinner in the Vermeer Fireside Room, which served as the campus chapel when the Class of 1961 attended Trinity. The after-dinner program featured a campus update from President Steve Timmermans and stories of Trinity’s history by Dr. Dan Diephouse, professor of English emeritus. Alumni and professors also took time to share their memories of what campus was like 50 years ago, as well as how Trinity has impacted their lives and careers.
Marion Dykstra ’61 enjoyed the opportunity to take part in the festivities. “I came because it was a milestone for my class and the first for Trinity to host,” said Dykstra. “I love Trinity and the people I know who work there. It was a very memorable weekend and I wouldn’t have wanted to miss it.”
Reunion attendees also took part in Saturday morning’s Commencement ceremony and led the procession of the Class of 2011 into the auditorium. Dr. Seerveld delivered the Commencement address.
“Just two years after celebrating Trinity’s 50th anniversary in 2009, it was an honor to host these individuals and be a part of another historic moment in Trinity’s life. We look forward to hosting the 50th class in future years as well,” said Travis Bandstra ’06, director of alumni relations.
Carl Klompien ’61 came, most of all, to see his former classmates and professors and was also struck by God’s faithfulness to both his classmates and to Trinity. “To see God’s blessings on those of us who could come and to hear Professor Seerveld point us to the source of everything was an inspiration and brought back fond memories,” he said. “I was thankful I was able to come and would do it again. And thanks most to God who has so abundantly blessed Trinity through its brief 50-year history.”
View the photogallery here.
In recognition of their commitment to education and their contributions to Christian community, Dr. John Hoekstra and Dr. Randall Voorn ’71 have been granted emeriti faculty status and were honored during the Commencement ceremonies on May 14.
Hoekstra has been awarded the rank Associate Professor of Education Emeritus, and Voorn has been awarded the rank Professor of Business Emeritus.
Dr. John Hoekstra has dedicated 11 years of his life to enhancing Christian higher education at Trinity.
He served as the College’s first director of Adult Studies Education, taking the program from its infancy and directing its expansion to three satellite campuses, including Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, College of DuPage in Addison, and Daystar School in Chicago.
Before Trinity, Hoekstra served 36 years in the public schools in Blue Island, Illinois. His teaching in Trinity’s traditional and Adult Studies programs includes assisting over 1,400 graduates from 80 cohorts through the program and on to successful careers.
Dr. Randall Voorn, a 1971 Trinity graduate, has taught at Trinity for 23 years and has used his experiences abroad to bring a global perspective to the College’s business and marketing curriculum.
He has fostered the growth of the business department’s marketing program to maturity as a fully integrated program within Trinity’s commitment to Christian liberal arts education.
Voorn has led students to professional excellence and worked diligently to contribute to the broader community through supporting and advancing his students’ careers both during and after their time of study at Trinity.
He will be teaching part-time in Trinity’s Adult Studies business program for the next year.
The production of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” proved to be a huge success for the College’s theatre program, with two performances added to accommodate ticket sales.
Six total performances made this classic, comedic fairytale one of Trinity theatre’s most popular productions in recent years.
“Many people think that they won’t understand Shakespeare, but Shakespeare is meant to be performed,” said David Hoekman ’12 of Grand Rapids, Michigan, who played the mischievous fairy Puck. “‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ demands a lot of energy and is a very physical play, and everyone loves physical comedy.”
Besides stellar acting from new and veteran student actors, the show’s success has also been attributed to the excellent direction of Dr. John Sebestyen, assistant professor of communication arts and director of theatre.
“Dr. Sebestyen works so hard to bring us together as a cast and highlight our specific talents,” said Alyssa Guerrin ’12 of Holland, Michigan, who played the role of Titania, Queen of the Fairies. “He picked an amazing show, and gave us the proper tools to make this show a success.”
“Dr. Sebestyen’s directing and vision of the play made it understandable and enjoyable, even to people who generally don’t like Shakespeare,” added Stephanie Avila ’12 of Chicago, Illinois, who played Hermia, one of the four lovers. “It was a great feeling to know that the community enjoyed the play so much.”
Learn more about Dr. Sebestyen.
As the end of the semester drew near, the students in Associate Professor Dr. Mary Lynn Colosimo’s psychology of gender class presented their final projects, some of which delved past traditional research work.
The types of projects students could choose ranged from a poetry anthology to a photographic display of gender-related topics.
Senior Bethany Verhage ’11 of Moses Lake, Washington, and sophomore Calob Lostutter ’13 of Tuscon, Arizona, both chose to exercise their writing abilities by creating an original poem and children’s book, respectively.
Verhage’s poem, titled “Your Strength Will Sustain Me,” was based on her insights from a solitude exercise, focusing on man’s identity in Christ.
Lostutter addressed a psychological quandary by writing a children’s book about a bear who wants to be a lion because of insecurity. In the book, the bear struggles with identity and knowing his role in society. To highlight the theme of forming community through our differences, Lostutter enrolled the help of his peers by asking them each to paint a page of the book.
“The issue of identity is one that presses upon every generation,” said Lostutter. “Although each page of the book has a certain quality that makes it stand out, it all comes together in the end to form one story, just as each unique person helps form one single, functioning body.”
He added, “To study psychology of gender is to wrestle with identity. This class provided an opportunity for self-reflection and a chance to consider if I am aligning my identity based on social standards or the roles set forth by God.”
Trinity students and faculty members celebrated the annual OPUS event in April. OPUS, sometimes described as “an intellectual circus,” is sponsored by Trinity’s Academic Initiative.
The celebration of student intellectual and artistic endeavor begins with a procession though campus, led by the Troll, the traditional bagpiper, and professors dressed as Abe Lincoln and Sinter Klaas. Following the parade is a day full of student presentations, musical performances, a gallery exhibit, a picnic, and a special Outcry worship service.
Many academic departments were represented by students from the major presenting original videos, capstone projects, and reports from Interim courses. Students enjoyed entertainment provided by Trinity music, dance, and comedy groups, including Playtimez Ova, In ConTroll, the Gospel Choir, and the Jazz Band.
J.R. Wydra ’11 of Tinley Park, Illinois, this year’s Lincoln Laureate, pronounced the official opening of the day.
Tuition Remission Winners
$100 Winners– Kaylyn Bossert, Abby Christensen, Brian Clark
$150 Winners–Courtney Jeltema and William “Luke” Monsma
$250 Winners– Lauren Mayers and Cassie Nelson
$400 Winner–Victoria Bruinsma
$500 Winner–Kylie Bond
OPUS 2010 Committee Members
Faculty
Dick Cole, Chairperson
Ken Austin
Patti Bowman
Dayton Castleman
Latishia Elliott, Residence Director
Mackenzi Huyser
Mark Jones
Pete Post
Bill Schepel
Trina Vallone
Students
Kaitlyn Fondryk, Chair of Academic Initiative
Abby Christensen
Stephanie DeJong
Jonathan Engbers
Amanda Evers
Keli Ooms
Allison Wier
OPUS 2011 Award Winners
Art Winners
Best of Show
Abby Christensen – Bloated Book
Graphic Design
1st – Emily Van Hoff – Chuckwagon
2nd – Jenae Van Engen – Dine with Sarah
3rd – Emily Van Hoff – Snowflake Pattern Book
Honorable mention: Emily Van Hoff – Bridgeport Map
Print and Photo
1st – Brady Davidson – Weird Light Stuff (3)
2nd – Emily Van Hoff – Ampersand after Ampersand
3rd – Leigh Twaragowski – Kids at Play
Honorable mention: Amanda Evers – Fall
Katie Milton – Leap
Alyssa Dichraaf – Untitled
Painting, Drawing and Mixed Media
1st – Hannah Snow – Sheltered
2nd – Bridge Earnshaw – French Press
3rd – Amanda Evers – The Happiest Place on Earth
Honorable mention: Abby Christensen – I Know You Like Maps, But Can You Read Them?
Sculpture
1st – Karl Gesch – Untitled
2nd – Karl Gesch – Barn To Go
3rd – Mike Evers – The Physical Impossibility of Life in the Mind of Something Dead
Honorable mention: Abby Christensen – 16 Casts of the Bottom of My Bucket
Communication Arts Winners
Original Oratory
1st – Joshua Moore, “The Arnold Project”
2nd – Kenyatta Bivens, “Blindness”
Dramatic Interpretation
1st – Gina Ciametti, Phantom Rep
2nd – Julie Wiltjer, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
3rd – Shannon Smith, A Doll’s House
Prose Interpretation
1st – Markey Ambrose, Love’s Handsome Warrior
2nd – Joshua Moore, Politically Correct Fairy Tales
Poetry Interpretation
1st – Joshua Moore, “Broke”
2nd – Markey Ambrose, “Too Many Daves”
3rd – TIE: Stephanie Avila, “Somebody Should Have Told Him” and Heather Hernandez, “The Highwayman”
Literature Winners
Poetry
1st – “Untitled” by Monica Brands
2nd – “Gino” by Erika Huizenga
3rd – “Nerve” by Teryn Leaper
Honorable Mention: “Airstream” by Erika Huizenga
“Coming from the Zoo” by Bethany Eizenga
“Anorexia” by Libby Dykstra
Non-fiction
1st – “Between Here and the Sun” by Kailyn Baum
2nd – “Singing for My Grandfather and the Monks” by Andrew Blok
3rd – Shared by “The Role of Violence in Much Ado About Nothing” by Stephanie DeJong
“Heathcliff, Vampires, and Pop Culture” by Courtney Randle
Honorable Mention: “What Kills” by Jason Gerringer
Fiction
1st – “The Damsel” by Jez Layman
Music Winners
Vocal Solo
1st – William Gesch
2nd – Samuel Heunink
3rd – Daniel Thayer
Vocal Ensemble
1st – In ConTroll – William Gesch, Dan Thayer, Samuel Huenink, and Adam Perez
2nd – William Gesch and Daniel Thayer
3rd – Samuel Huenink and William Gesch
Instrumental Solo
1st – Lydia Kijowski
2nd – Zachary VerHaar
3rd – Kelly VandenBerg
Instrumental Ensemble
1st – Flute Ensemble – Melissa Don, Christina Reardon, Victoria Penley, Joohee Kim
Keyboard
1st – Hyo Jin Moon
2nd – Brittany Homan
3rd – Carrie Hofland
“You Be the Judge” Winners
INTERIM
Title: You’ve Never Heard of the Language of the Dwarves? Probably Because It’s So Underground
Presenter: Jennie Hill and Eric Swanson
COMMUNICATION ARTS AND MUSIC
Title: Music and Theology in Christian Worship: Preliminary Considerations
Presenter: Adam Perez
POLITICAL SCIENCE AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Title: Operation L.I.N.K. (Liberty in North Korea): Helping to Save a Life
Presenters: Kenyatta Bivens, Kaitlyn Fondrk, Courtney Jeltema, and Ishael J. Tendero
THEOLOGY
Title: What I Learned from Worship Symposium
Presenters: Alberto La Rosa, Kelsey Nelson, and Kelly Zuiderveen
HISTORY
Title: Educational Reform During the Early Cold War
Presenter: Abby Suarez
PSYCHOLOGY
Title: Peru 2011
Presenters: Elizabeth and Sarah Jongetjes
CHEMISTRY AND MATH
Title: Markov Processes and Inflation Rate Modeling
Presenter: Peter Keep
ENGLISH AND SPANISH
Title: Oh, ya, you betcha! – The dialects of Fargo
Presenter: Jennie Hill
EDUCATION AND SPEC. ED.
Title: Disney Sign Along
Presenters: Trinity’s Sign Language Club
Approximately 75 students participated in community service projects as part of the College’s annual Love Palos event on April 30.
Love Palos takes place each year during the final weeks of the academic year. Students and Trinity staff dedicate one Saturday morning to service projects in the Palos Heights community and on campus. The event is sponsored by the College’s Office of Community Partnerships and Service Learning.
“The goal of Love Palos is to give students an opportunity to give back to their community through service,” said Office of Community Partnerships and Service Learning student worker Paola Dolores ’12 of Villa Park, Illinois. “Through this day of service, we hope students are led to continue volunteering and participating in other projects.
The service projects vary each year, ranging from picking up trash around neighborhoods to spreading mulch in recreation areas. This year, students were able to choose between working with the Navajo Hills Homeowners Association, picking up trash in Navajo Creek, which runs along the east-side of campus, working at the Route 83 athletics fields, or helping with projects at the Lake Katherine Nature Center and Botanic Gardens.
“The value of participating in Love Palos is that students have an appreciation for the town we share and live in,” said Dolores. “Students also receive the opportunity to demonstrate Christ-like service to our neighbors.”
“Love Palos is really fun because it allows us to do work with other people,” said English education student Andrew Blok ’13 of Lynden, Washington. “It’s a nice change for students, since so much of the work we do daily is individual.”
“My favorite part of Love Palos is the fellowship that happens while we serve,” said business major David Schurman ’12 of Demotte, Indiana. “Love Palos is a great way for us to spend time bonding and working alongside the people we already know and getting to know the people we don’t.”