A note from the Dean of Students
We are pleased to send you this first issue of the Student Life Department Parent E-Newsletter. This project has been in the planning stages for several months and is finally ready to go. The intent of this e-newsletter is to inform you of the opportunities and experiences your student has had at Hesston College since you moved them in and said your good-byes.
We hope to inform you of special events that are coming up. We also want to inform you of the activities that your son or daughter has opportunities to attend.
Since opening weekend students have enjoyed soccer matches and volleyball games. They have attended movies, mod activities and Ultimate games. They have taken part in discussions about the upcoming presidential elections and have watched the presidential debates in the Larks Nest. They have spent time in the homes of their Mod Parents and they have adopted Mod Grandparents from Schowalter Villa. They have gone on backpacking trips, service activities, and they have experienced worship together. And yes, they have attended classes.
The HC enrollment is 465 this year. This is about 19 more students than last year. About 332 of those students are living in mods in the dorms. They are learning to live together, provide support for each other, and develop new relationships. Their Hesston College Experience is happening now! That is truly exciting.
I encourage you to attend Thanksgiving weekend and participate in the HC Experience with your son or daughter. This is such a wonderful time on campus with great food, sporting activities, plays, and presentations. You will soon be receiving information in the mail about that weekend.
What a great time to be here…at Hesston College…with your students. We are truly fortunate to get to know them at this time in their lives.
--G. Lamar Roth
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| Dave Osborne with parents of sophomore Shin-Hye Kim of Seoul, Korea |
International Students
This fall we have 50 international students here at Hesston College,
48 of whom are in our dormitories. Although many of them know they
will not see their families for several years, they keep in contact
through emails and phone calls. In effect, they are far from, yet
close to their parents back home.
As Hesston becomes their new home, our students and staff become their
new family. As I try to keep in touch with our former international
students, I often hear them talk about missing their "Hesston
family." Their residential experience is often what they want
to talk about ahead of their academic experience.
Likewise, for our U.S. students, having international students in
our mods seems to be valued. In recent exit surveys, our graduating
students have consistently placed "having international students
in my mod" toward the top of the list of things they valued in
their Hesston experience.
It's my opinion that in these days, more than ever before, it's important
for all of us to work at bringing people together rather than separating
and alienating ourselves from people from other backgrounds and cultures.
I deeply respect your sons and daughters who open themselves up to
include our international students in our residential community here
at Hesston.
Encourage your student to invite one of our international students
home for Christmas vacation or Spring Break. Join us in this effort
to work at a more inclusive understanding of "family." It's
fun. It's satisfying. It's a good thing to do.
--Dave Osborne
Campus Activities
The 95th Annual Mod Olympics was held on Sunday, August 22. This
event is always a great time for the entire campus to come together
and release some energy after a busy opening weekend schedule. Michele
Hershberger, faculty member in the Bible department carried in the
traditional flame riding in a horse-drawn carriage.
There was a variety of relay games played between brother/sister mods
involving balloons, rubber bands, eggs, plates of shaving cream, and
hula-hoops. Mods also broke into individual teams to play games that
require the entire mod to work together. The games concluded with
the all student lap sit and “Cool Cat” game. Another highlight
for the evening was getting cooled off from the hoses of the City
of Hesston fire department.
The Campus Activities Board has been busy planning and preparing activities
for the students this fall. We have been swimming at the McPherson
Water Park, roller-skating, All-Star Sports in Wichita, and have watched
a couple of movies under the stars at the soccer field. Upcoming activities
include Homecoming King & Queen contest, Chicken-Out BBQ and the
Corn Maze.
The year is off to a fun start and I have a great group of students
on the year’s Campus Activities Board.
--Beth Rizza
Emily Stutzman, RA Erb Hall 3ED
When I was in high school, Hesston College
was the last place I ever wanted to be. I had no intention of being
trapped in the middle of no-where, Kansas, sharing a bathroom with
20+ sheltered Mennonite girls and living off of grease drenched cheese
fries from the local truck stop. I did not want to go to Hesston and
I definitely had not considered the possibility of becoming a Resident
Assistant (RA).
I guess you could say something changed my mind. Here I am, nearly
three years later, Resident Assistant of 3ED, living in some-where,
Kansas, sharing a bathroom with 20+ wonderful Mennonite girls, and
occasionally treating myself to dairy-rich cheese fries.
Having the opportunity to be RA this year has really broadened my
experiences and my level of enjoyment here at Hesston. I feel so privileged
to have the position. All summer I was looking forward to meeting
my new freshmen and becoming reacquainted with the returning sophomores.
In my excitement and preparation, I may have gone a little overboard
with the decorating expenses, but I would say it was worth it.
My mod, also known as the “Tiki Lounge,” is decked out
in Hawaiian décor. All the doors are adorned with lei curtains
and the walls and ceilings sport hanging fish. I also had two inflatable
palms trees (both have disappeared now). The bathroom, aptly named
the “paradise pooper,” has tropical rugs and seashells
to add a little feel of Hawaii to the overall bathroom experience.
It has been fun to theme our mod get-togethers and events around the
whole Hawaiian idea.
One
evening for a mod activity we hosted a “nail night.” I
passed out over 30 fliers, inviting faculty/staff women to a night
of getting acquainted with my modlings through nails and snacks. The
nail night turned out to be a hit. My modlings painted the faculty/staff
nails and then we switched and the faculty/staff painted our nails.
We really had fun giggling and snacking with each other and the staff/faculty
members we would not have known otherwise.
Although we are having lots of fun together, we are also spending
some more serious time with one another as well. Every Tuesday night,
we have mod Bible Study. We get together and discuss the Word and
pray for each other. So far it has been a really neat time to get
better acquainted and learn to love each other, even through our weaknesses.
My goal coming into the year was first of all to be an example to
my peers in my relationship with God and with others. I also really
wanted to make my modlings feel at home and loved while they are going
through the changes that come with college life. I hope that they
have found me to be of some help to them with their stark adjustment.
I really feel lucky with the girls I have in my mod; they are all
wonderful girls, with a desire to know God in a more intimate way.
Each one has been an example to me of God’s love with the way
they have treated me and others on campus.
Everyday I thank God that he worked with me and through me, even though
I was stubborn, and brought me here to Hesston where I have had the
opportunity to learn and to grow like I would have never imagined.
--Emily Stutzman