Monday, October 24, 2011
Elements of Journalism 4-8
Student Response to Sexuality Week Mixed
For many Christian school students, the topic of sexuality can be an uncomfortable one. As a result, the topic is often avoided all together, and students are either left to wonder or become misinformed by the media and their peers. In response to this dilemma, the Center for Student Development organized a series of events October 17th-21st in what was known as “Sexuality Week.” The week consisted of discussions on love, managing sexual drives, building a bridge between the Christian and LGBT communities, Christian perspectives on pornography and masturbation, as well as reflections from single and married faculty and staff members on relationships and sexuality and a convocation dedicated to answering students’ questions.
“We will provide a factual, God-honoring, biblically-based understanding of sexuality, with opportunities to ask questions and to dialogue,” said Janice Holton, Dean of Counseling and Student Care, in an email informing students about the week.
The student response was mixed. Many students were neutral about the week, saying, “I just went for the chapel credit.” Others had stronger opinions.
“I think we should have something like this every year,” says Alinne DeOliveira, 20, of Boston, MA. “It’s an opportunity to talk about something that isn’t easily talked about at a Christian college. I think many students are scared that they will be judged.”
One highlight of the week was the Wednesday chapel at which Andrew Marin spoke.
Marin is the president and founder of the Marin Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to reconciling and creating understanding between the Christian and LGBT communities. After chapel, students were given the opportunity to further the conversation in an informal lunchtime with Marin in the Lion’s Den.
“As a gay person, I’m often discouraged by the way Christians and LBGT people are so often very wary of and quick to judge one another,” said one student who wishes to remain anonymous. “I thought that Wednesday’s chapel promoted a sense of togetherness between the LBGT community and Christian community, and that’s something I think is so very necessary.”
Some students were less than impressed with the week, finding the discussions to be too open-ended rather than drawing biblical conclusions.
“I think sexuality week overall and the message had no care on speaking on a spiritual level,” said Justine Guirguis, 18, of Milford, MA, “and if there was care for the students, there would have been a stressor on coming to terms with answers and less on pre-proposed reactions of an audience.”
Monday, October 10, 2011
Thomas Lake '01, Sports Illustrated Reporter Talks
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Great Scot Alumni Awards Show Possibilities for Students
Dr. Carrie Dahl Tibbles is an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, the associate director of the Harvard Affiliated Emergency Medicine Residency Program, and the associate director of Graduate Medical Education at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. But amidst this mouthful of titles, there is one that hits home: Gordon grad. Tibbles ’93 is one of eight alumni that will be honored at the Great Scot Alumni Awards this Homecoming Friday, October 8th, at 7:00 p.m. in the Ken Olson Science Center. The event will begin with hors d’oeuvres, followed by the presentations at 7:45 p.m., and will close with coffee and desserts.
“The awards are an opportunity for the college to honor alumni who have impacted their work places, communities, and the lives of those around them,” said Adrianne Cook, Director of Alumni and Parent Relations, “work that is often done faithfully and selflessly, without fanfare.”
Alumni are nominated by faculty, staff, fellow alumni, friends, or family via the Gordon website. This year, there are six awards. Tibbles will be awarded the Alumna of the Year Award for her outstanding accomplishments in the medical field. Owen Webb, a graduate of '03 who has already achieved great success in his career field, will receive the Young Alumnus Award. Jason Revilla ’01 and James Grumbine ’01, co-owners of Faith & Fortune, a clothing company that helps promote non-profit organizations, will receive the Jack Good Community Service Award. As missionaries in France for years, Robert ’97 and Heidi Walker Winslow ’97 will be awarded the A.J. Gordon Missionary Service Award. A high school chemistry teacher for the duration of his career, Harry Hesketh Jr. ’63 will receive the Winifred Currie Alumni Award in Education. Professor Theodore Wood, winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award, taught for 30 years at Gordon in the Business and Economics Department and was the founding director of the Center for Nonprofit Studies as well as founder of the academic minor in Nonprofit Organization Management and Philanthropy.
The awards represent a wide range of possibilities that come with a Gordon education. It’s a chance for current students to see how their time spent at the college can affect the rest of their lives.