07 Mar HU Students Spends Semester in Israel

Christina Warner (second from the left) and her class at the Wadi Qilt on the way to Jericho and before reaching St. George’s Monastary.

On the Eastern side of the Mount of Olives, past the separation wall, Huntington University student Christina Warner sits across the table from a Muslim family, who share stories about their lives after the start of the second uprising.

“The family has lost close family members, either because they were killed or jailed, since the beginning of the intifada,” said Warner, a senior Bible and religion major from Bloomington, Ind. “They were incredibly welcoming, and I was honored to be able to sit and listen to their stories.”

This family is one of millions of people who have suffered great loss because of the intifada. Since the separation wall has been erected, the people are cut off from the basic resources of the land and economy that would help them to survive and support their families.

There are many organizations that help the community. The local Mennonite Central Committee office in Palestine supports 15 organizations that help the Palestinian people while they are under Israeli occupation. Warner has joined in on the daily meetings, which has given her the chance to see firsthand what they do as well as help provide her with a better understanding of the current political and social situation.

“These organizations provide basic education, conflict resolution, jobs, agricultural resources and water,” Warner said. “They also support a couple of Israeli organizations which educate the Israeli public about the living conditions of Palestinian refugees, comparing the current quality of life with the quality of life before the occupation and displacement of the Palestinian people.”

Warner is involved in a study abroad program at Jerusalem University College on Mount Zion, next to the Old City. The Jerusalem University College is a small American Christian college that specializes in biblical archaeology, history of the Bible and the Middle Eastern cultures, religions and modern politics.

Each of Warner’s classes involves participating in one field study. The field studies are basically field trips throughout Israel. The students must pay close attention to what they see and learn so that they do well on their tests.

“So far I’ve been on field studies throughout biblical Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho and Central Benjamin Plateau, an area that the Israelites crossed to get into Canaan,” said Warner.

Although, like most college students, Warner goes to classes and does homework. In her free time she roams around Jerusalem. She goes to a local lecture, works in the garden, spends time with MCC or goes to the New City, West Jerusalem, which is mostly Israeli homes and businesses, with other students.

Most of the city isn’t much different from the cities in the United States, but each section has different social customs. East and West Jerusalem have very diverse cultures.

“The dynamics between men and women are much different,” said Warner. “The conservative atmosphere and most of the Orthodox faiths here tend to view women as less than men, but it’s not taking too long to learn how to hold my own while being respectful.”

In West Jerusalem the primary language is Hebrew, but in East Jerusalem the primary language is Arabic. Although, most of the people speak English, the professors are fluent in the languages, but Warner plans to learn a bit of both Hebrew and Arabic while she is in Israel.

27 Feb Huntington Students Win TV Award

Huntington University’s HTV 22 News took first place in the 2007 Intercollegiate National Religious Broadcasters TV studio contest.
Under the direction of Dr. Lance Clark, associate professor of communication (right), HTV 22 News is the student-produced weekly news magazine covering local news, sports and weather. The award-winning broadcast may be found online at HTVNews.net.

Todd Stapleton, a senior broadcasting major from Tipp City, Ohio, is the show’s producer, and Josh Fortney, a junior broadcasting major from Huntington, Ind., directs the show each week. This is the second consecutive year that HTV 22 News has won the award in this category under Stapleton’s leadership.

“I am so proud of these students because they are doing what it takes to write, produce, edit and direct a first class news program,” Clark said. “The competition is steep, and to take first place on the national level says a great deal about the character and determination of our broadcasting students at Huntington University.”

20 Feb HU: 52 Presidential Scholarships Awarded

Fifty-two future Huntington University students have been awarded a Presidential Scholarship of $7000. A few received an additional Colloquium Scholarship of $1500. The Presidential and Colloquium Scholarships at Huntington University are the highest honors bestowed on incoming students. Read about them and see their photos.

20 Feb HU J-Term: Seven Cities in China

A team of three staff members and 11 Huntington University students traveled to China during the 2007 January Term for a 23-day experiential learning trip. Dr. Luke Fetters, associate professor of ministry and missions, and Campus Pastor Bill Fisher took the students to seven Chinese cities to learn about Christianity in China.

The team traveled to Hong Kong, Macau, Zhouhai, Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Nanjing, and Beijing, covering an estimated 2000 miles.

Fetters wanted students to understand the complexity of the Christian experience in modern day China. “The general stereotype among Americans of the church in China is secret meetings, smuggling of Bibles, fear, and police,” said Fetters. “But in reality there is a government-regulated legal church with 20 million members. There is also a government-recognized printing company that has printed 15 million Bibles.”
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20 Feb HU Keeps Tuition Increase to 3%

Huntington University approved a 3% increase for fulltime undergraduate tuition for 2007-2008. Annual tuition at Huntington University is currently $18,420. The increase amounts to $280 more per semester for fulltime undergrads.
Across the United States, the average tuition and fees at four-year private institutions this year is $22,218, reflecting an average increase of 5.9% over 2005-2006, according to College Board’s 2006-2007 annual survey of colleges.

20 Feb HU J-Term: Serving at United Brethren Camps

Two groups of students spent their January Term, January 8-24, at United Brethren camps–16 students at the Michindoh Camp and Conference Center in Hillsdale, Mich., and ten students at Camp Living Waters in Luther, Mich.

Camp Michindoh. Dr. Bill Bordeaux (right), professor of chemistry, took 16 students to Camp Michindoh, where they worked with fifth and sixth graders from Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana schools. The class was called “Outdoor Environmental Education for Children.”

The students served as cabin leaders for 10-12 elementary students, helped the camp staff in classroom and laboratory settings, and taught team-building classes.
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20 Feb HU J-Term: Among Arizona’s Poverty-Stricken

Katie Jo Brown sits in the middle of the dull white classroom reading out loud. All around her is a mob of 36 children, 7-9 year-olds, all scrambling on top of her to point out the misplaced silly objects in the book. Their eyes are wide with wonder as they glance at the colorful pages trying to be the first one to find the hidden pieces.

Brown, a junior elementary education major from Eaton Rapids, Mich., was among seven Huntington University students who spent their two-and-a-half week January Term in Arizona. They were led by Kathy Turner, instructor in education.

The trip was offered to junior students who were required to have a practicum in a minority setting. Students that didn’t participate in the multi-cultural trip will be placed in a school in Fort Wayne, Ind.
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20 Feb Huntington University J-Term: Italy

During Huntington University’s January Term, many students take advantage of trips offered by departments or professors. This year’s J-Term offered eight off-campus and 25 on-campus classes spanning the two-and-a-half weeks (January 8-24), giving students a chance to delve in-depth into a single subject.

One group traveled to Italy to study the country’s rich art culture. The group consisted of 29 students, two faculty members, and three non-student adults. Over the course of their trip, the group visited Venice, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano and Rome, gaining an understanding of the historical art and architecture. The group visited such landmarks as St. Mark’s Cathedral, the Guggenheim Museum, and St. Peter’s Basilica.

Rebecca Coffman, professor of art, and Ken Hopper, assistant professor of art, designed the trip so that students would learn to appreciate the different art styles.

Junior Melissa Shepard, an entrepreneurship/small business major from Brooklyn, Mich., said of her Italy experience, “The friendships and experiences will be a memory that I will never forget, and when I look back on college as I grow older, I will always have Italy as a climax to my experience in college.”

02 Feb Huntington Appoints Department of Nursing Director

Huntington University has appointed Margaret Winter as the director for the new Department of Nursing. Winter will begin her position in the fall of 2007.

“The excitement of Huntington University and the community for a nursing program was obvious and contagious during my interviews,” Winter said. “There is a good deal of support for beginning this program, and I am looking forward to the challenges and the achievements that will be a part of this developing opportunity.”

For six years, Winter has taught in the Olivet Nazarene University Department of Nursing. Her specialty area is obstetrics, though she also teaches transcultural nursing and supervises pediatric clinicals. Prior to coming to Olivet, she taught nursing at Indiana Wesleyan University as adjunct faculty and at Scott Community College in Iowa. In addition to teaching at Olivet, Winter works at Dukes Memorial Hospital in Peru, Ind., on the obstetrical unit and in the Day Surgery Department.

Winter holds a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Illinois and a Master of Science degree in nursing from Northern Illinois University. She is a doctoral candidate at Nova Southeastern University in Florida.

“Margaret brings both clinical and educational experience to our program,” said Dr. Norris Friesen, vice president and dean of the university. “I am not only impressed with her experience but also her commitment and passion to teach nursing. Margaret has a heart for missions and views nursing as a vital way to communicate the good news of the gospel.”

Winter is a pastor’s wife and works with her husband at the Church of the Nazarene in Peru. She is an advocate against child abuse and gives lectures on Shaken Baby Syndrome.

“Margaret comes to us with a wealth of experience in teaching, missions and service,” said Dr. Pat Pierce, interim director of HU’s nursing program. “She understands the Christian ministry of the university as well as the discipline of nursing and is an outstanding role model.”

02 Feb HU Social Work Majors in Phoenix

Four social work students at Huntington University completed January Term in Phoenix, Ariz., working in a community neighborhood ministries program and in a local agency called Southwest Leadership Foundations. 

Emily Risser, senior social work major, gave 10 days of volunteer service at the Neighborhood Ministries program where she worked with children in the surrounding community who attend a daily boys and girls club. 

Mack Miller, Nicole Callaway, and Jenna Rumple, all junior social work majors, were assigned to Southwest Leadership. Miller and Callaway provided service to the organization’s community center called the KEYS. Callaway worked in a preschool for children ages two to five, and Miller worked in an afterschool program for kindergarten through third graders as well as in the youth development program for at-risk and adjudicated youth. Rumple worked in the recovery from homelessness program call The Bridge, which is a “hands-on” assistance program for at risk families to recover from homelessness for up to two years. 

This meets the requirement for completion of their junior social work practicum. The area of Phoenix was chosen to provide a diverse culture experience for students to assist them with gaining a perspective of the Hispanic culture. The trip was coordinated through Food for the Hungry, which is headquartered in Phoenix. Jamie Fiedler, a UB endorsed missionary serving with Food for the Hungry in Phoenix, provided staff support for the trip.