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Embrace the idea of yes. That is the advice of Associate Professor of Biology Clay Carlson, Ph.D., Trinity’s 2018-19 Professor of the Year, during the 60^th Annual Convocation on Aug. 22. “Strange things happen when you say yes,” said Carlson, recounting the times that being open to new opportunities has changed his career and life. “It may be the Holy Spirit blessing you, so you may bless others.”

As part of Trinity’s long-standing tradition, Carlson gave the Convocation Address as Professor of the Year. He spoke about his experiences as a first-generation college student, where he arrived on campus with an acoustic guitar, a hacky sack, and not much of an academic plan. “It was the ‘90s,” he joked to the crowd of students, faculty, and staff who gathered in Ozinga Chapel Auditorium. Carlson also spoke about how a willingness to take an internship that involved setting up lab equipment ultimately led to his first full-time job. In grad school, a casual agreement to monitor a middle school bounce house for an afternoon set the stage for years of deeply fulfilling youth ministry involvement. While at Trinity, an unsolicited request to write an article about climate change ultimately changed the course of his career. “Say yes,” he repeatedly urged.

Convocation began with the processional by faculty and staff, and a welcome by President Kurt D. Dykstra, J.D. “This gathering is an annual tradition, to be sure,” he said. “In this, we have been gathering like this for 60 years. That is no small thing. In previous convocations were Trinity people who now occupy the highest positions of power and influence for God, for good, and for the world: parents and pastors, doctors and lawyers, business executives and non-profit executive directors, artists and scientists, professors and college administrators. All of them sat, figuratively, where we sit.”

Michaela Kohlmeier ’20 Campus Ministry Prayer Leader, offered the prayer of invocation. Craig Mattson, Ph.D., Professor of Communication Arts, and Leah Wideman ’21, 2017 Founder’s Scholar and Honors Program member, led the litany. Provost Aaron Kuecker, Ph.D., introduced Carlson.

Professor of English Karen Dieleman, Ph.D.; Director of First Year Experience Emily Bosscher; and Student Association President Bailie Fredlock ’20, gave the prayers of thanksgiving and petition after Carlson’s address. Pastor Bill Van Groningen, Ph.D., gave the closing remarks and benediction.

Music throughout the service was provided by Instructor of Music Minkyoo Shin, D.M., Professor of Music Mark Peters, Ph.D., and Trinity’s worship team.

After Convocation, the Trinity community gathered for fellowship and refreshments in the Grand Lobby before embarking on the new school year.

A self-described caretaker of four rescue animals, Prof. Cini Bretzlaff-Holstein, DSW, associate professor of social work and department chair, spent part of her summer at St. Stephen’s House at the University of Oxford, where she attended the Fifth Annual Oxford Animal Ethics Summer School.

The theme for this year’s program, which was held from July 22-25, was “Animal Ethics and Law: Creating Positive Change for Animals.”

“It was a wonderful experience,” said Bretzlaff-Holstein, whose scholarly interests pertain to social work education and humane education. “I study the interconnection between human rights, environmental preservation, and animal protection, as well as the human-animal bond. My doctoral dissertation made the case for humane education in social work education.”

The Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics was founded in 2006 and pioneers ethical perspectives on animals through academic research, teaching, and publication. This year’s program is part of an acknowledged that animal law has now become a recognized academic subject in its own right alongside animal ethics, according to the centre. The sessions at this year’s summer school explored philosophical and religious ethics, historical, anthropological, scientific, psychological, and sociological perspectives.

There are a lot of perks to being a Trinity student—and you might not even know about some of them! From flowers to oil changes to martial arts lessons, many Palos Heights businesses offer special discounts to Trinity students, faculty, and staff when you present your College I.D.

Click here to see a list of participating businesses.

Trinity thanks our wonderful neighbors for their support of the College.

The 2018 Trinity Athletics Club Golf Classic was blessed with good weather, warm fellowship, and generous contributions as 128 golfers convened at Calumet Country Club in Homewood, Illinois. The annual event raised nearly $50,000 in scholarships for Trinity student-athletes.

At the August 13 outing, friends and alumni of the College were greeted on the course by student-athletes, President Kurt Dykstra, Athletics Director Mark Hanna, and members of the Athletics and Advancement offices.  The golfers had opportunities to win prizes throughout the day, including hole-in-one chances for a car, courtesy of Oak Lawn Toyota, and for $10,000, courtesy of Legacy Insurance Group, as well as to participate in a chipping contest, sponsored by Service Sanitation.

The low foursome for the day consisted of Ken Cook ‘07, Kevin Drenth ex ‘09, Matt Postema ’07, and John Sikkenga ’06.

“The golf outing was a great day and it was wonderful to see familiar faces as well as new golfers to the event, ” said Dennis Harms ’89, Associate Vice President for Advancement, who coordinated the event. “We appreciate all the sponsors and golfers and are grateful to the Trinity community for their support of our athletics program.”

The Athletics Department would like to thank Ozinga Bros. and Providence Bank and Trust for their generous sponsorship of the event and to Assurance Agency as a food sponsor.

With an eye towards the Christian perspective, Professor of English Bill Boerman-Cornell, Ph.D., recently wrote a chapter on graphic novels in the e-book, “Pop Culture Primer.”

The book, published by “Think Christian,” is designed to provide insights into different pop culture forms through the lens of Christian faith. Other chapters focus on video games, television shows, albums, and movies, and each chapter includes extensive discussions of five recommended titles. “We’ve chosen them because we believe they resonate with Christianity in interesting ways,” writes Trinity alumnus Josh Larsen ‘96, editor of “Think Christian.” “This isn’t to say that they’re explicitly ‘Christian’ or have won some sort of seal of spiritual approval. Rather, in their sounds, images, gameplay, and narratives, they offer unique opportunities for people of faith to consider what we believe—and how we can share that Good News with a pop culture-obsessed world.”

Boerman-Cornell, who has also authored the award-winning book “Graphic Novels in High School and Middle School Classrooms: A Disciplinary Literacies Approach,” identified graphic novels that may raise more questions than they answer. His selections include:

–A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel (Hope Larson, 2012)

–The Eternal Smile (Gene Yang and Derek Kirk, 2009)

–Mighty Jack (Ben Hatke, 2016)

–The Tale of One Bad Rat (Bryan Talbot, 1995)

–March: Book I, Book II, Book III (John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell; 2013-2016)

Check out Boerman-Cornell’s chapter here.

Trinity is excited to host the 2019 National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Men’s Volleyball National Invitational from January 25-26. Men’s volleyball has been approved as an invitational sport by the NCCAA Administration Committee beginning in the 2018-2019 academic year.

Invitationals- where the teams are invited to participate- for the sport were previously held from 2000-2005, but declining participation levels prevented the sport from maintaining invitational status or taking the next step to become an authorized sport. Recent years have seen an increase in teams across the country contributing to the sport returning to invitational status.

The Invitational tournament will feature 8-10 teams from the NCCAA’s 94 member schools. Each participating team will be seeded prior to the group play of the tournament. Being fairly centrally located with up to date facilities, Trinity was asked to host the 2019 Invitational.

2018-2019 marks a good year for men’s volleyball. In addition to returning to invitational status with the NCCAA, men’s volleyball became the 26th national championship sport in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The sport became eligible after 40 member institutions launched men’s volleyball teams.

If you are 55 years or older and looking for stimulating learning and discussions, come check out Trinity’s membership program SALT (Seasoned Adults Learning at Trinity)! Through our latest SALT classes, you can take a stroll back in time to Chicago’s Gilded Age on a tour of Prairie Avenue. Or perhaps birdwatching on Trinity’s beautiful campus is more your speed. What about exploring the Bible’s themes of gardens? This fall’s SALT courses offer all these, and so much more!

“The responses I hear from SALT students who are taking classes on campus or who have spent the day touring a Chicago historical site are always so positive,” said Ginny Carpenter, SALT Program Coordinator.  “Instructors find SALT students to be engaged in their topics and contribute significantly in discussions; the SALT program really is a lively, collaborative, community of learners.”

Becoming a SALT member provides many benefits:

• Invitation to take SALT classes (when you take 3 classes, the 4^th is free!)
• Free “listener pass” classes in Trinity’s traditional program in both the fall and spring semesters
• Limited access to Trinity’s Fitness Center
• Free on-campus parking sticker (no need to replace if one has already been issued to you)
• Invitation to special theater performances and lectures
• Invitation to music department recitals and concerts
• Free admission to regular-season home athletic contests
• Free WiFi while on campus
• Significant discount rate for Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) performances on campus

The individual annual membership fee is $35; membership is required before registering for classes (but registering for membership and classes may be done at the same time.) Unless otherwise noted: one-session classes are $15 per course, two-session classes are $30 per course, and three-session classes are $40 per course.

Click here to learn more about joining SALT and the classes that are being offered this fall. For more information, contact Carpenter at 708.239.4798 or ginny.carpenter@trnty.edu

Sandra Biedron ’94 doesn’t just own an historic mansion that is lovingly cared for—the Ingersoll-Blackwelder House also recently doubled as a television set for a haunted pilot filmed by 14 teenage filmmakers.

The cast and crew were on location at the house, located in Chicago’s Beverly-Morgan Park neighborhood, from July 17-20. They were part of Fresh Films, an after-school program that pairs students with industry professionals during week-long summer programs. Along with an emphasis on film-making, the program also offers insights into the science-based skills required behind the scenes in the entertainment industry.

It’s a cause that Biedron, currently a Research Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the College of Engineering at the University of New Mexico and a Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, believes in passionately. “I love how Fresh Films is melding the excitement of film with science and technology. There are many careers like visual effects, sound engineering, even lights and camera that need STEM skills. And having this take place at our mansion, is a win for filmmaking, education, science and technology,” said Biedron, who majored in chemistry and biology at Trinity and earned a doctorate in accelerator physics from Lund University in Sweden.

According to Biedron, the pilot is a spooky but lighthearted story about a young woman who inherits her grandmother’s inn and discovers she can communicate with its ghostly residents. The pilot will be reviewed by executives from Amazon Studios and Disney Channel Original Movies.

The Ingersoll-Blackwelder house, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, offered a perfect backdrop for the story, Biedron said. The home, which was once owned by Gertrude Blackwelder, the first woman to vote in Cook County, Ill., was built between 1874-1877.

Fresh Films has been engaging youth behind the camera and creating youth-targeted TV shows, films and original content since 2002. It is the non-profit arm of Dreaming Tree Films.

Trinity graduates Chris and Faith have joined Chip and Joanna, Jonathan and Drew, and Hilary and David among HGTV’s standouts!

Chris Pierik ’01 and Faith Veenstra ’03 have created Tramake, a line of art prints and home accessories. The husband and wife duo describe their products as “colorful and graphic with a playful sense of historical design while remaining truly modern and always moving forward.”

And “HGTV Magazine” obviously agrees. Tramake’s line of ceramic coasters was featured in the magazine’s July/August issue as one of “50 Finds from 50 States.” “We scoured Etsy for our favorite buys from sea to shining sea,” the article noted, and chose the coasters to represent Illinois.

HGTV isn’t the only outlet paying attention to Tramake’s designs. According to Veenstra, the company is also working on an order from Nordstrom, which will feature five of its products online and in several stores this summer.

The two have also succeeded with other creative outlets. Pierik is co-founder and creative director at Cultivate. After graduating from Trinity, Veenstra earned a master’s degree of fine art from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

To see more of their designs, visit tramake.com or visit their Etsy store.