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Congratulations to Ryan Hesslau ’18, who was featured on the Feb. 29 episode of “Steve Harvey” and talked about his anti-bullying organization foreverU. During his appearance on the nationally syndicated talk show, Hesslau, founder and executive director of foreverU, explained how his movement grew from a Facebook page to an organization dedicated to bringing love to a broken world.

“I was definitely beyond grateful to have been part of this opportunity to share the mission of the organization I started on the show,” said Hesslau, an entrepreneurial management major.

foreverU’s mission is to revolutionize and enhance the understanding of bullying and the direct impact we can make in one’s life, while showing that no matter how hurtful or broken this world may be, love always wins and the ability to discover our identity is possible.

Visit here to learn more about Hesslau’s appearance.

On Feb. 25-26, Trinity hosted 17 Diversity Scholar candidates. Over the course of two days, the candidates took part in interviews, attended classes, went to student-led praise and worship, and learned about life at Trinity and the opportunities available beyond campus.

Trinity awards multiple Diversity Scholarships to first-time freshmen students from under-represented populations who have demonstrated academic excellence, leadership, Christian commitment, and involvement in promoting diversity in high school, church, or community programs.

Because Trinity’s mission recognizes no racial or cultural boundaries, we consciously seek to develop a multiracial, multinational, and multidenominational community. We affirm our commitment to work toward greater diversity not only in regard to our racial, ethnic, and cultural demographics but also in regard to acceptance, appreciation, honor, and equality within our campus climate.

This year’s Diversity Scholar candidates are:

• Julissa Carmona, Chicago, Ill.
• Jonathan Diedam, Weston, Fla.
• Indira Escalante, Hoffman Estates, Ill.
• Adam Garcia, Bellaire, Texas
• Martha Mahtani, Grandville, Mich.
• Stephanie Rodriguez, Berwyn, Ill.
• Guadalupe Silva, Gallup, N.M.
• Lauren Whitehouse, Highland, Calif.
• Tianyi Zhang, Cerritos, Calif.
• Jessica De Sanctis, Gallup, N.M.
• Nahara Escalante, Hoffman Estates, Ill.
• Nicole Faulkner, North Bend, Ohio
• Jenna Lanoue, Manteno, Ill.
• Skylynn Olvera, Gallup, N.M.
• Carina Schiro, Milwaukee, Wisc.
• Gabriel Soler, Pella, Iowa
• Maura Woodhull, Knoxville, Tenn.

Minutes before he was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., in 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. made a song request to musician Ben Branch. Branch was scheduled to perform at an event King was attending that evening. According to testimony by Rev. Jesse Jackson, King told Branch, “Ben, make sure you play ‘Take My Hand, Precious Lord’ in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty.”

According to Dr. David Brodnax, Sr., professor of history and director of black studies at Trinity Christian College, it’s appropriate that King’s last words were a song request. As part of Trinity’s Annual Celebration of Black History Month, Brodnax recently presented a lecture titled “‘How I Got Over:’ Music, Religion, and the Civil Rights Movement.”

In a talk that discussed music across continents, religions, genres, and cultures, Brodnax described how music shaped the civil rights movement and how the civil rights movement shaped music. He provided insights and audio clips to show how music over the centuries evolved to the gospel and protest songs that played a key role in the 1960s.

As an example of the evolution and reworking of music, he pointed to isicathamiya singer Solomon Linda, who recorded a Zulu song called “Mbube,” with his band The Evening Birds in the 1930s in South Africa. American folk singer Pete Seeger renamed the song “Wimoweh” and recorded it with his group The Weavers. The song was rewritten again by George Weiss and renamed “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” and has been covered by multiple artists. Eventually the song appeared on the soundtrack of the Disney film “The Lion King.” While Linda received virtually no money for his original recording and died in poverty, his descendants reached a settlement with Disney for proceeds from the song.

Seeger, along with Zilphia Horton, is also closely affiliated with the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome.” It has several key elements of an effective protest song, according to Brodnax. “We Shall Overcome” is repetitive, has a simple chord and rhythmic structure, is emotionally moving and can be sung while people are marching.

Brodnax also traced how a grounding in gospel music inspired musicians like Ray Charles. His songs, and the songs of other popular singers, were further adapted into protest songs, such as the morphing of Charles’ hit “Hit the Road, Jack” into “Get Your Rights, Jack.”

Some protest music was so subtle that its message could be missed or ignored. John Coltrane’s instrumental song “Alabama” was written soon after a Ku Klux Klan bomb killed four girls at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham in 1963. But since the song has no lyrics, listeners can focus on Coltrane’s saxophone, rather than the story behind it.

Musical tastes change over time, though. “The ‘70s killed protest music as a commercial success,” Brodnax said.

Trinity is proud to announce a new partnership with North Lawndale College Prep (NLCP), a Chicago Public School on the city’s West Side, that will open up opportunities for up to five students every year to receive a scholarship that will completely cover their tuition, room, and board expenses for four years.

On Feb. 18, Trinity became the newest member of the Phoenix Pact. The Phoenix Pact is a program that makes it possible for graduates of NLCP to attend the college where they are most likely to succeed, rather than having to settle for the college they can afford and access.

“This type of partnership fits in perfectly with Trinity’s mission and calling,” said Jeremy Klyn, Director of Admissions at Trinity Christian College. “I have seen many students from the Chicago area who badly want to attend Trinity. However, many cannot afford the cost of room and board at the college and do not have the resources to provide their own transportation, even though our campus is just a few miles from Chicago.”

By making it possible for students to enroll at Trinity and live on campus, they are much more likely to succeed and graduate in four years. “That is the ultimate goal at Trinity,” said Klyn.

“Our students represent some of the best and brightest in the City of Chicago,” said Christopher Kelly, Chief Operating Officer at NLCP. “However, many of them are low-income or first-generation students, and they face many hurdles to attend a traditional four-year college. With Trinity as the newest member of the Phoenix Pact, even more of our students will be able to realize their full potential and attend college.”

Up to five students who meet specific academic requirements in high school and are accepted to Trinity Christian College are eligible for this award. Selected students will have their tuition, room and board expenses completely covered for four years.

In an article published in the new issue of Christian Scholar’s Review, Assistant Professor of Communication Arts Dr. Bethany Keeley-Jonker and Professor of Communication Arts, Honors Program Director, and Department Chair Dr. Craig Mattson take on the topic of helping students avoid “zombie” speech and learning to speak in their own voices through the human speech of Christ.

The article, “Stop Talking That Way! An Affective Approach to Uncanny Speech in the Christian College Classroom,” focuses on addressing issues in the speech classroom, drawing on Christian thought.

The beginnings of the article started in 2012, when Keely-Jonker first joined the faculty at Trinity. Previously, she was at a public university, and she was looking for ways to bring the Christian perspective to her syllabus. “So I asked Craig, what can I do to make it unique to Trinity?” she said.

“I had three or four ideas,” said Mattson. Thanks to summer research grants from Trinity, the two were able to write a draft and finalize the article that was recently published.

Among the ideas the two discuss in the article is how “affect” differs from emotion. Keeley-Jonker and Mattson’s article also describes “uncanny” speech, and its different types such as “vampire” and “zombie.” This type of speech is animated but also undead in a way. They also explore how Christian theology can help both teachers and students find their voices in speech classes.

One way to achieve this is to allow more speaking in speech classes, in part by replacing written answers with oral ones. “Asking students to deliver responses to reading assignments orally in two-minute prepared remarks would make the work of finding their own voices an ongoing project,” the authors conclude. “Instead of concentrating an individual’s anxiety on ‘presentation days,’ students would come to see speech as a communal activity whose expressiveness spans a broad range of affects. A delivery-oriented classroom might become a place where new voices develop.”

Christian Scholar’s Review is a quarterly journal which studies the integration of Christian faith and learning on both the intra- and inter-disciplinary levels. Members of the Trinity community can access the article through the Jennie Huizenga Memorial Library.

Trinity was pleased to recently host 29 Founders’ Scholarship candidates for Founders’ Weekend. During this three-day long event held Feb. 11-13, applicants for the College’s most prestigious scholarship had the opportunity to immerse themselves in life at Trinity and beyond.

The Founders’ Scholarship is a renewable, full-tuition award available annually to two incoming freshmen. Applicants must rank in the top five percent of their graduating class or achieve a 3.8 grade-point average; score a minimum of 30 on the ACT or 1320 on the SAT; exhibit leadership in their church, school, or community; and display evidence of personal faith in Jesus Christ. The recipients of the 2016 Founders’ Scholarship will be announced soon.

Among the many activities that took place over the weekend, students attended a banquet in the Grand Lobby of Ozinga Chapel, roomed overnight with current Trinity students, participated in worship services, interviewed with faculty members, and spent time touring downtown Chicago.

Written By Rachel Townsend, ‘16

We all know McDonald’s. Whether we eat their food or see the golden arches, we feel the presence of more than 14,000 U.S. restaurants all around us. However, we never see what occurs behind the scenes, such as how the company values its customers and protects their privacy. Above all else, though, McDonald’s focuses on securing its brand, according to Marc Varner, Corporate Vice President and Global CISO of Global Technology Risk Management for McDonald’s Corp.

For Trinity Business Network’s latest event, the College welcomed Varner, who offered “A Look Inside the Golden Arches.” With spirit and knowledge, Varner detailed what it is like to work for the sixth largest brand in the world.

As a business, making money is important. However, Varner stressed a new outlook on this model when he told the audience, “You need to do so responsibly, and have a moral code.” So the company focuses on protecting its brand and valuing character, principle, consistency, and transparency.

The company’s customer database, a “treasure trove to all enemies out there,” does not keep personal information, according to Varner, whose daughter Meghan is a junior at Trinity Christian College. Once a transaction clears, the information is dumped and franchisees and those in corporate headquarters forget its existence. In an age where marketing departments try to delve deeply into the smallest detail of its customers’ lives, why does McDonald’s take this approach? As Varner explains, “The morally right thing to do tends to be the good business thing to do.” It should come as no surprise then why the company serves 69 million customers a day.

Most important, Varner believes that Christianity can exist in the business world. Following Christ’s teachings and leading by example in his business dealings “makes my life easy.”

Trinity Business Network (TBN) provides Christ-centered business learning and service opportunities for Trinity Christian College students, alumni, and friends.

Balance and tension are critical themes for Chicago-based artist Allison Wade, who is presenting her exhibit “you and you and you” at Trinity’s Seerveld Gallery until Feb. 29.

Incorporating hand-made and found objects, some of the artwork looks different from different angles, such as appearing two dimensional from one side but three dimensional from another. Several pieces also incorporate her interest in weaving as an art form. Wade, who is a lecturer in the Department of Art Theory and Practice at Northwestern University, has an MFA in fiber and material studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She cites contemporary fiber artist Sheila Hicks as an inspiration, as well as a recent trip to New Mexico where she studied traditional Navajo weavings. The weaving looms themselves are incorporated into some of her artwork. “They can’t be taken off the loom, or they fall apart,” she said.

Wade says the exhibit’s name reflects the “U” and the “C” shapes that appear in many of the works. “‘You’ is also non-specific, but specific at the same time,” she said.

The Seerveld Gallery is located in the Art and Communication Center at Trinity and is open Monday-Thursday from 11 am to 4 pm, and Friday from 11 am to 2 pm.

At Trinity, one of our strengths lies in the diversity of people who form our community. In order to celebrate and further our commitment to enhancing that community, Trinity has hosted several events this year including discussion nights focusing on code-switching, documentary viewing and discussion on privilege, and a “joy and justice” series specifically for faculty and staff.

The most recent event, “The Next Step: An Intercultural Workshop,” took place on Jan. 23. The Next Step workshop, hosted by Trinity’s Multicultural Leadership Team, brought together students, faculty, and staff to talk about their own racial identity and understanding of racial identities and experiences of others. The workshop included experiential activities, small group discussion, racial affinity councils, and a guest presenter.

The Trinity students on the Multicultural Leadership Team, Christian Perry ‘16, Claire Edwards ‘18, and Paulette Atenco ‘18, worked with Director of Student Programs Troy Schemper to coordinate the event. Perry led the planning for the event and assembled the faculty, staff, and students who participated and provided support.

“I am quite proud of the work that these student leaders are doing under the supervision and guidance of Troy–this is a newly organized leadership team, only in its second year,” said Dean of Students Mark Hanna. “It was led well by Monica Par, Amanda Grzeslo, and Noel Huddleston last year, and this year’s team continues to build.”

Hanna said the event and its student leaders made him proud on many levels. “Recent organizational changes in student life are allowing us to increase the number of student leadership roles and are allowing us to better program about diversity–particularly race and culture. The student leaders that have assumed roles on this particular leadership team are working hard and risking a lot to encourage and challenge their peers by offering this kind of intentional programming. The vision for their work directly supports institutional commitments to diversity, student leader development, and increasing our capacity to think about and talk about diversity. And this is about vocation–for the student leaders involved and for this Christian community.”

Throughout history, painted portraits have been reserved for the wealthy and powerful. In today’s disposable society, selfies can be instantly snapped and posted.

For John Bakker, professor of art and design, socially engaged art can combat both those trends. As an artist, Bakker’s preferred medium is painting portraits of members of different communities. “The act of painting someone’s portrait is demonstrating that they have value and dignity,” he said.

Last fall, Bakker served as artist in residence at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill. While there he launched the Galesburg Portrait Project, where he began capturing images of 399 residents on 310 wooden panels. The panels can be stacked into a large arrangement. The project is designed to be reconfigured and moved so it can travel to different parts of Galesburg.

For Galesburg, which was economically hard hit after several factories closed, the project is a way of saying its residents matter, Bakker said.

Tracking down 399 different pictures to represent about 1% of the city’s population was not an easy task. Bakker based his portraits from pictures that people took of themselves, so he needed willing subjects to submit their own photos to someone they didn’t know. He was also determined to find a cross-section of city. Bakker also had to actively seek out veterans, farmers, and one-time workers at Galesburg’s now-shuttered Maytag plant to ensure those groups were included.

Back at Trinity, Bakker is finishing up the last of his panels. He is also planning to print subjects’ names and stories on each of the panels. Eventually, he would like to post individual images online so that those in Galesburg can share and comment on them.

To see the nearly completed project and learn more about Bakker and his work, visit http://www.johnbakker.info/