Page One Thoughts

Page One: Inside the New York Times is a documentary that follows the New York Times for a year through this time of drastic change for journalism. . Even through this transition, the elements of journalism remain as relevant and crucial as ever. As seen with the cases of Judith Miller and Jayson Blair, one bad journalist can ruin the reputation of the entire paper. Thus, papers can't afford to hire dishonest and corrupt journalists.

I was encouraged to hear that, while blogs and other online sources may be a more popular source of information at the moment, they are often unreliable. Newspapers will come out on top in the end if they continue to be a steady source of accurate news.I was discouraged to hear that, as part of this transition, the Times had to let go of a significant amount of its staff as well as begin charging for the online edition of their paper. I was surprised to hear that, despite this turbulent time for the Times, they have a new editor, Jill Abramson--the first woman editor of the paper. They have also been trying to stay afloat by making extensive use of blogs and Twitter. At this time in America, they don't have much of a choice but to conform to some technology fads. If they can adapt to the changing times while still maintaining their trustworthiness as a news source, I don't think they will shut down.

Faithful Leadership for the Common Good: Gordon’s Eighth President Delivers Inaugural Speech

The afternoon of Friday, September 16th, members of the Gordon community congregated on the sun-lit quad for the installation ceremony of Gordon’s eighth president, D. Michael Lindsay. Students and professors had the day free of classes so they could participate in the full day of events, which included a symposia and worship service in the morning, the robing ceremony in the afternoon, and a concert featuring Sara Groves in the evening. However, the installation service at 2:00 was the main event.

The ceremony commenced with a processional, accompanied by Gordon’s Wind Ensemble. Faculty members stopped and greeted students and friends beside them in the crowd. Many joined in singing hymns such as Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee and Be Thou My Vision before Dr. Nathan O. Hatch, President of Wake Forest University, delivered a speech. The Gordon College Choir gave a performance of Here I am, Lord before Gordon’s sixth and seventh presidents, Dr. Richard F. Gross and Dr. R. Judson Carlberg respectively, presented D. Michael Lindsay with the presidential medallion.

Finally, Lindsay stepped to the podium to deliver his inaugural address, entitled “Faithful Leadership for the Common Good.” He launched the speech lightly, making jokes about his struggles driving in Boston and his unpreparedness for the fickle weather. The rest of the speech focused on three main imperatives for Gordon: to expand the intellectual horizons of young people, and thus Global Christianity; to deepen faith and fully serve the Lord; and to elevate contribution to students, the community, and Gordon as an institution.

“I’m convinced that ‘good enough’ never is,” said Lindsay. “Going forward, if Gordon has been doing X, I want us to do X-squared.”

Lindsay ended the speech recognizing three people who have influenced and inspired him to take on this task as Gordon’s president. He reminded the audience that change is the process of individual efforts working together for a common mission.

“I pledge to do everything in my power to guide and equip the next generation of Christian leaders with a framework of faithfulness as they influence cultures throughout the world,” said Lindsay. “And I trust you will join me in this effort.”

The ceremony commenced with How Great Thou Art: a reminder that Gordon College cannot fulfill any mission without God’s help.

Meet Jay Lindsay: The Tartan's New Advisor

The Gordon Tartan is alive and in-print this year, but not without the help of its advisor Jay Lindsay. Lindsay, 41, of East Brookfield, MA graduated from Gordon in 1992 and went on to the Colombia University Graduate School of Journalism from which he graduated in 1998. His career in journalism includes working at the Boston Globe as a cooperative education student, the Community Newspaper Company, Daily News of Newport, and the Associated Press, where he is currently working.

Lindsay wasn’t always interested in writing. In fact, his gateway to a career in journalism was rather unusual.

“I played baseball my whole life and figured if I couldn't be a pro athlete, it would be fun to write about sports,” said Lindsay. “But I started reporting on high school sports, and just found news to be far more interesting.”

Throughout his career, Lindsay has conducted interviews with high-profile people, mostly athletes, including Pedro Martinez, Tom Brady, and Derek Jeter. He’s been on some interesting adventures in pursuit of a story, one being travelling to Riker’s Island to write about prison chaplains. Even apart from journalism, Lindsay has led quite the wacky life.

“I've dressed up as Barney the dinosaur for money, but just once!” said Lindsay. “And in college, I wore an industrial gas mask while driving because my 1979 Omni had a leak and I couldn't afford to fix it.”

So how did this man of the world with an impressive background in journalism end up helping Gordon with the Tartan? Jo Kadlecek, a journalism professor and Senior Communications Writer for the college asked Lindsay if he would like to help with the revival of the Tartan.

“I have a lot of loyalty to Gordon,” said Linsday. “There aren't a lot of journalists from Gordon and I viewed this as a chance to help strengthen the program by strengthening the school paper.”

The Tartan is honored to have Jay Lindsay as an advisor this year to help make its re-launch successful and instill honest journalistic habits in Gordon’s aspiring journalists.

“I hope the people who work for the Tartan start to see themselves as stewards of a proud legacy,” said Lindsay. “I really want to help students turn the paper into something they are proud of, and something the campus community trusts.”

Loving Our Religious Neighbors

Where were you on September 11^th, 2001? Kyleen Burke, 20, of Port Jefferson, NY was in a home economics class when she heard that two planes had flown into the Twin Towers. Burke’s uncle, a firehouse captain, was a first responder to the attacks. While helping people out of the towers, he came across a quadriplegic man and radioed for a helicopter. Before the helicopter could arrive, the towers collapsed.

“It really shook us,” says Burke. “I became fascinated with how my life in suburban America could be affected by something so far away.”

Now a senior at Gordon, Burke is double-majoring in political science and philosophy and minoring in Middle Eastern studies. Last semester she studied in Cairo, Egypt and hopes to take more trips to the Middle East and learn Arabic.

“We are misrepresented to Muslims, and Muslims are misrepresented to us,” says Burke. “There has to be a way to resolve that.”

Her vision for understanding between Muslims and Christians led her to form a club called Loving Your Religious Neighbors. Now in its second year, the club entails a 7 week curriculum designed to teach Christians about Islam and prepare them to work with the Muslim community. Last year, the club partnered with the MIT Muslim Students Association and hosted a technology day at an after-school program in Salem. The two groups went to a local church as well as a mosque and had a dialogue about their differences.

“The point isn’t to debate,” explains Burke. “We want to let Gordon students meet other young adults who believe in Islam the same way we believe in Christianity.”

This year, the club will be collaborating with the Harvard Islam Society, aiming for three joint service projects a semester. They will also be hosting a lecture series, tentatively planning six lectures: three from interfaith speakers (Islam, Jewish, Hindu) and three from ecumenist speakers (Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Quaker).

In an upcoming chapel, Burke will be saying a prayer for the families affected by 9/11 as well as for peace and resolution between Christians and Muslims.

“We need to accept the fact that there are rational, civilized Muslims in America,” says Burke. “At the end of the day, we are still going to believe what we believe, but that doesn’t mean shouldn’t strive to understand and learn.”

Interested in being a part of Loving Our Religious Neighbors? Email Kyleen at kyleen.burke@gordon.edu.

A New Year, New Events!

From dances and talent shows to coffeehouses and concerts, Gordon has an exciting year ahead! The Campus Events Council (CEC) is recharged with new directors and a full schedule of beloved traditions as well as fresh events. This year’s director Jordan Tymann, 21, of Stratham, NH and his co-director Tatyana Parson, 21, of Santa Barbara, CA are an ambitious duo with a passion for the Gordon community.

“We both share this desire to bring students together and create a sense of belonging on campus,” says Tymann.

The Council already has some big events planned for the fall. A concert, featuring Sara Groves, will be held on September 16^th in honor of President-elect Lindsay’s inauguration. An inaugural ball will be held on September 23^rd and will include ballroom dancing lessons by Linda and Steve White. “Gordon’s Got Talent” (date TBA) will be a talent show featuring students, faculty, and staff, as well as an interesting panel of judges. Gordon’s annual October Fest will also be held on October 1^st.

“Even though Gordon is a small school, the community is big,” says Parson. “We want events that involve everyone from students and alumni to faculty and staff.”

While most students participate in events and involve themselves with the Gordon community, there always remains a small fraction of students who are reluctant to leave their rooms and join in the fun. Tymann says that a major goal for CEC this year is to create more events that will get the entire campus involved.

“We’re ecstatic if we can get 90% of the campus to come to an event,” says Tymann, “but we still keep in mind that 10% and wonder what we can do to bring them out”

With a staff of only 20 people, CEC can’t function without the help of the student body. The council is always open to ideas, which can be emailed to cec@gordon.edu. Students can also follow them on Facebook (Gordon College Campus Events Council), Twitter (CECgordon), and their blog at cecgordon.wordpress.com. Another way to contribute is to volunteer for the Crew Staff, which entails helping CEC set up before and clean up after events. In return, Crew members get to meet tons of great people and earn special privileges and seating at events.

“We can’t read your minds,” says Tymann. “The best way for us to know what students want is for them to come to us.”