An interview with Ben John Pollitt, a golfer from England. Pollitt is a sophomore at Goshen College. He was the lone golfer on the men’s team a year ago when intercollegiate golf returned to Goshen College. He described his best athletic moment as “winning a matchplay tournament at my club after giving my opponent 28 shots in 18 holes.”

Q: What brings you to Goshen College?

A: I went through a company that tries to find you a sports scholarship and Goshen was one of the colleges that offer one. The coach was very forthcoming, I could ask him any question and he would answer almost immediately, when other schools took weeks to answer.

Q: What are some differences that you have observed between America and England?

A: The sense of community. People are a lot friendlier than they are back home. Another weird thing for me is that in America you can turn on a red light, when in England you need to stop… you can’t do that.

Q: Do you think your accent has opened doors here in America in any way?

A: I guess it has given me more leeway with professors. Like, if I am late with something they don’t give me as big of a punishment.

Q: What is one thing that you cherish the most about England?

A: My little sister. I had to be a father for her, because we lost our dad a couple of years ago. She is always saying when is “my Ben” coming home, instead of “When’s Ben coming home?”

Q: How did your father pass away?

A: Motorcycle accident, when I was 18 years old.

Q: What are some things that you miss the most about your father?

A: He was my guiding light. When he was alive, before I did something I would ask myself “Will my dad do this?” Now, I just go ahead and do things that sometimes I regret.

Q: What things do you regret?

A: Right now? Smoking. That’s probably my only one.  I feel like I disappoint my dad every time I do it.

Q: What is the last thing that you remember your dad saying?

A: That’s awkward, because the last conversation that I had with him was an argument about money. The day that he died I was supposed to buy my mom a birthday present. I only had 20 pounds left and he was disappointed about that. So he said: “I am going to leave before I say something that I regret.” Afterwards, I waited for him to come home but he never did. I play this argument over and over again in my head.

>> Read the rest of this article on the Goshen Commons website.

Errick McCollum II holds the single season and career scoring records in basketball at Goshen College. In the spring of his senior year in 2010, as a 6’1” guard, he executed a soaring dunk that became an ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 play.

But unlike the majority of Goshen College students, McCollum never traveled abroad en route to earning his undergraduate degree. His credentials as a global citizen came later, courtesy of his ability to speak with the basketball in any language.

This year, McCollum, who is 25, is playing for Apollon Patra, a team in the Greek Basketball League.The league is ranked as one of the top three leagues in Europe. McCollum had intended to play professional ball in Turkey this year, but after a preseason tournament with the Best Balikesir Basketball Club, he received an offer to play in Greece.

Last season he played professionally in Israel, where he topped the league in scoring, averaging 24.3 points per game and scoring a high of 40 points in one game.

McCollum said that his parents predicted that they would have two professional athletes in their family. Friends used to laugh at the claim, he said, but they no longer do.

McCollum’s younger brother, C.J., who plays for Lehigh University, was a two-time Patriot League player of the year and the nation’s fifth-leading scorer as a junior last season. C.J. McCollum led Lehigh, a No. 15 seed in the N.C.A.A. tournament, in knocking off Duke, the No. 2 seed, last March.

“My parents always knew we had the ability and talent, and they put us in the position to gain every opportunity we could get,” Errick McCollum said.

McCollum excelled in high school ball in Canton, Ohio, but his size turned away many Division I schools. Goshen College didn’t hesitate, and McCollum took a road less traveled in his journey to the pros.

At Goshen College, he excelled, as a senior becoming the first Maple Leaf to be named conference player of the year. He averaged 25.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3 assists per contest and was named a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) First Team All American.

Even so, after graduating, McCollum, who earned a business degree, was uncertain about his future. He turned down several job offers and signed with an agent. “My agent said he saw the Top 10 play … [but]  it takes a lot of things to go your way,” he said.

After signing his first professional contract, McCollum packed up his bags and flew to Israel—his first trip abroad.

In two years of professional play McCollum has now visited 10 countries and feels comfortable in transitioning to Greece this year.

“I don’t think you can go overseas and do this if you can’t adjust and meet new people,” said McCollum. He attributed his easy adjustment in Israel to the experience he had in moving from his home in the inner-city in Canton to “little Goshen College.”

In college the basketball team did everything together, he said, as a tight-knit family. In the professional league, some of the players are 10 years older, with families of their own to go home to after the game.

“It was a big adjustment from Goshen College,” said McCollum, “where everybody is friendly and all the doors are unlocked. It’s a different atmosphere.”

>> Read the rest of this article on the Goshen Commons website.

Ken R. Yoder ’68, right, often runs marathons with his son, Ben, and his daughter, Karen ’96.

It wasn’t a typical father-son bonding activity.

Ken Yoder ’68 and his son, Ben, set a goal to run 50 marathons – one in each U.S. state. Five years later, they met their goal when they completed the Phunt Trail Marathon in Maryland on Jan. 2, 2011. They’re the only known father-son duo accomplish the challenging circuit.

Ken said it was Ben’s idea to take on the challenge. “We were visiting (Ben) in Boston in ’05,” said Ken. “I’ll never forget his words, when talking about it at Bertucci’s Pizza, ‘Dad, we can do this!’”

So they embarked on a journey of running about an average of 10 marathons a year for the next five years (that’s more than 1,300 miles).

Even though the duo started each marathon together, Ben would usually finish his marathons about an hour or two ahead of his dad. More important than doing well in races, though, was the opportunity to bond.

“Ben would greet me at the finish line, taking my picture and saying, ‘That’s my dad!’” said Ken. “All of a sudden, all that suffering in the last several miles (from about mile 20 on) was forgotten, and I’d be thinking of the next marathon. It was so rewarding and special to me.”

The Yoders aren’t the only people to run a marathon in each U.S. state. In fact, there’s an entire club for people who are up for the challenge (visit 50statesmarathonclub.com), but people can only join after they have completed a marathon in at least 10 states. There are almost 600 runners in the club, and some of them have completed the 50 states challenge multiple times.

Ken and Ben have continued running marathons since meeting their goal, and added more family members to the mix. Ken’s daughter, Karen ’96, and Ben’s wife, Orapin, have joined them. “I’ve often said that running is a metaphor for life,” said Ken. “It’s so primitive, putting one foot in front of the other. It’s in my blood.”

 – By Alysha Landis ’11, in the Summer 2012 Bulletin

Melissa, Miles and Justin Gillette

Justin Gillette ’05 came up with the idea of running marathons for a living by default. He ran his first marathon at age 16 and since then has run 99, winning 45 of them and setting 10 course records.

While at Goshen College, Justin knew that he loved running, and he wanted to see how far his passion could take him. He told Associate Professor of Physical Education Val Hershberger, his academic adviser, what his goals were at the start of his college career. “I laid out to Val what my goals were and I said when I graduated I wanted to be good enough at running that I can run professionally, and I wanted to meet a wife while I’m at Goshen College,” he said. “Val laughed at me, and I said, ‘What? You don’t think I’m going to meet a wife?’”

He met both those goals, though getting his wife, Melissa (Lehman) Gillette ’05, to agree was harder than he planned. The two met as first-year students on the Goshen College cross country team. Justin immediately was interested in Melissa, but it took three years of asking before she agreed to go on a date with him. After graduation, they got married, and they now have a 2-year-old son, appropriately named Miles. They both are coaches for GC’s cross country team.

Last year, Justin ran 20 marathons. This year, he plans to run 25 and next year he will turn 30, so he wants to run 30 marathons. “I guess I’m kind of on an upward trend. It’s hard to limit myself,” he said. “Now, using mathematical statistics, if I continue at this rate, before long it’s just a matter of time before I do 100 marathons in a year!” he joked.

Justin said it’s easy to increase the number of races each year because his body gets acclimated to the training it takes and the recovery between races. His training consists of running 120 to 135 miles a week.

When Melissa decided to date Justin, she didn’t realize that also meant agreeing to try marathon running. Justin convinced her during their junior year to try her first marathon. “He told me, jokingly, ‘You know, you’re not that good, but, if you go for longer, you might be able to do something!’” said Melissa.

Apparently she was able to do something. Melissa broke the world record for the fastest woman in an indoor marathon at the Maple Leaf Indoor Marathon in February – a race she wasn’t even planning on running and the first indoor marathon she’s ever run. She decided the day before the race to run it because she needed to get a long run in that day and they didn’t have a babysitter. Her time was 3 hours, 8 minutes and 53.8 seconds.

“I thought if I felt good, then (the record) would be attainable, but I didn’t want to put pressure on myself because it’s a long race,” she said. “I thought about the race more as the amount of time I would be running, so I wasn’t counting laps or thinking miles.” If she had counted laps, she would have reached 204.

Still, Justin likes to tease her. “She’s only won 14 marathons, so that’s not that many…” he joked. So far, she has 43 marathons under her belt.

In addition to running 80 to 90 miles a week, Melissa is also a student at Notre Dame working toward a doctorate in biology. She is finished with all the required courses, so now she’s researching breast cancer, investigating the factors that cause cancer to develop and spread.

After graduating from Goshen, she got her master’s degree in medical molecular genetics at Indiana University and did genetic counseling for a year, which sparked her interest in finding out more about the hereditary forms of cancer. Before going back to school at Notre Dame, she spent a year teaching at GC as an interim professor of biology in 2008.

When she started taking classes again last year, she said it was her worst year for training ever. “I had to find a balance between family, school and running, and running was the first thing that had to take a back seat at that point,” said Melissa. “Now we’ve gotten into a routine that works for us and I’ve been able to recover and get back into shape.”

With both Melissa and Justin needing to get a long run in every day, Melissa working on her doctorate degree during the day and a 2-year-old to take care of, their lives require keeping a fairly strict schedule. Justin stays at home with Miles during the day, running while he pushes him in a stroller, and Melissa gets home in time to get her run in before it gets dark.

Justin looks at running as anyone would look at any other job: it’s a way to earn a living. Running is different than many other mainstream sports, he said, because with running you have to prove yourself and build up credentials before getting good sponsorship deals. Justin said it took them two years out of college to get their first good sponsorship deal, and he thinks the offers will continue to improve as he continues to improve his running.

“I could just give up on the world of running and enter into the corporate world and have a regular paying income, or, I could just keep pushing ahead like I’m doing and see what kind of mental and physical barriers I can break,” he said. “We don’t live a luxurious life, but all of our needs are taken care of and we have a lot of fun and we travel the country.” Races have taken the Gillettes from Hawaii to Florida to New York and back.

As of February, Justin was ranked third in the country. “I’ll be second by the time this story goes out, because I’ll just have to win one more!” he said. His prediction was true; as of May 9, Justin was ranked second in the United States and 13th in the world. Even so, he still sees room for improvement.

“For me, most of my races I run in about two and a half hours, so that’s a pretty good time slot that there’s various components to improve on,” he said. “Maybe I didn’t run fast enough up that hill at mile 19 or maybe I didn’t take my fluids in properly at mile eight. You’re never going to run a perfect race, so that’s part of the draw to keep coming back too. And it’s kind of neat to see what your body can handle.”

Justin’s body can handle a lot. Last fall he ran nine marathons in 11 weeks, and didn’t even realize it until someone mentioned it to him afterward. “We don’t look backward, we’re always looking forward to the next one,” he said.

You can follow the Gillette’s journey at their blog: www.gilletterunning.blogspot.com

– By By Alysha Landis ’11, in the Summer 2012 Bulletin

What started out as hypothetical brainstorming among physics students in the fall of 2008 is in the process of becoming reality. The final work on the solar panels is being completed, and the group expects the system to be up and running in a few weeks.

How it works

The project uses eight tube-style solar hot water collectors, said Isaac Yoder-Schrock, a senior physics major from Donnellson, Iowa, who is heavily involved in the project. The collectors absorb energy from the sun and heat the water that runs through them. This heated water is then stored in a large, well-insulated underground water tank. The insulated storage tank was installed in late September, southwest of the RFC. The water from the tank is transferred to the water entering the boiler in the RFC and preheats the cold water. Yoder-Schrock explained that this process causes the boiler to consume less natural gas.

One unique aspect of the design is that the storage tank stores up heat in order to get through many days of cloudy weather, said John Buschert, professor of physics. The storage tank, which the group bought on eBay, is designed to hold stratified layers of water for efficient heat storage. Once enough initial heat is established, solar energy will be used to heat the RFC water year round.

The group chose the RFC to use solar panels because it is one of the few buildings on campus that is used year round. For example, although the dorms use substantial water for showers during the school year, they don’t use any water during the summer months when they’re vacant.

Students have played a heavy role in most aspects of the project.

“While the project has been a collaboration between students, faculty and staff, students have been integral in the research, engineering, proposal-writing and construction of the project,” said Yoder-Schrock. The students completed the research, wrote the proposal, contacted many of the donors and worked alongside contractors to complete aspects of the construction.

This project was never formally linked with any classes, so students and faculty always worked on it on the side in addition to their class workloads. Buschert said at first it was hard to find the time and to stay on task with students going in and out. They needed students to commit to the project. That’s when Yoder-Schrock and Andrew Glick, a sophomore physics major from Pekin, Ill., stepped in.

“It’s unusual for students to be so heavily involved in such a big project,” said Buschert. “We only have a few pre-engineering students, so we put them to good work.”

This was also an opportunity for students to use problem-solving skills as obstacles arose amidst their research.

“It was really hard to get good numbers from the solar industry as a small, independent, non-business affiliated project,” said Glick. “Whether it was prices or the panel’s thermal energy ratings, we had to make a lot of phone calls and send a lot of emails and analyze the data we got back in order to try and make the best investment.”

Money was an obstacle, he said, but with the help of donors who were interested in supporting sustainability and a grant from the Ecological Stewardship Committee, they were able to make it work. Buschert said that although solar energy may not be the cheapest form of energy right now, this project isn’t just about money. Even if natural gas or other forms of energy are cheap, he said, “we’re still paying a different kind of price for it as we’re putting more and more carbon into the air.”

A step closer to carbon neutral

The main reason for completing this project is simple: it reduces the campus’ carbon footprint by using sustainable, clean energy. Money factor aside, the solar panels will help the college get one step closer to the goal of becoming a carbon neutral campus that Goshen College President Jim Brenneman set in 2007.

The new solar project is only the latest venture to reduce energy usage for Goshen College. Energy-reducing initiatives have included technical adjustments to systems, education of students and employees about what they can do to conserve, and more energy efficient construction and new purchases of equipment. For example, the college uses a computerized energy management system, which can control heating and cooling in rooms across campus based on detailed schedules of occupancy. There are timers, sensors and motion detectors to turn the lights off when rooms and hallways aren’t in use or the outside light is sufficient. Energy-efficient light bulbs are used across campus. And hot water temperatures are adjusted based on outdoor temperatures. Computerized controls of fans and pumps save significant amounts of energy.

From July 2010 to June 2011, the college used 5,160,00 kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity. This is the lowest electrical consumption since 1991-1992. During the same time, the college used 28,640.4 decatherms of gas. This is about 20 percent less natural gas consumed per year than the college was using in 1990. The college is using significantly less energy despite the fact that it has added 60 percent more square footage of building space since 1990, all of which needs to be heated and cooled.

“There are many facets to creating a more sustainable environment,” said Glenn Gilbert, sustainability coordinator and utilities manager. “Fortunately, conservation of finite resources and reduction in our carbon footprint often lines up with saving money and improving our quality of life. It takes imagination and creativity to bring this about and involves everyone doing their part. I am thankful that Goshen College has made this commitment and has chosen to be a leader in teaching and modeling ecological stewardship. The Sun Shower Collective is a perfect example.”

– By Alysha Landis

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College Acting News Bureau Coordinator Alysha Bergey Landis at (574) 535-7762 or alyshabl@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.

GOSHEN, Ind. – Tavi Mounsithiraj will share his story of fleeing Laos with his family as a 13-year-old boy and adjusting to life in another culture where today he is the head coach of Goshen College men’s soccer, leading his team to national recognition. During Afternoon Sabbatical on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 1 p.m. in Goshen College Music Center’s Sauder Concert Hall, Terri Brenneman will help Mounsithiraj tell his story in an interview-style format as he recounts his journey “From Laos to Goshen.” The event is free and open to the public.

The Mounsithiraj family was part of the half-million people who left Laos when communists took over the country in the ’70s. Tavi Mounsithiraj’s father worked for the Laotian government until the increasing communist involvement began causing problems. The family of eight fled the country to a refugee camp in Thailand where they stayed for a year until a Mennonite church in Sturgis, Mich., sponsored the family to come to the United States.

The Laotian family struggled to adjust to a new culture as they began to work and go to school in a country where no one spoke their language. “It was challenging to fit in to such a different culture,” said Mounsithiraj. “There aren’t very many Laotians in Michigan, so it was not easy to adapt to the new language, food, religion and customs.”

In 1994, Mounsithiraj graduated from Goshen College, and two years later he became the college’s men’s soccer coach, leading them to conference and national championships.

“I have the ability to have faith in my community, believing that it’s a good thing to be a part of,” said Mounsithiraj. “Despite all of my challenges, I still succeeded and made something of myself.”

A reception in the Music Center lobby will follow the program. Afternoon Sabbatical programs are usually on the second Tuesday of the month at 1 p.m. in Sauder Concert Hall or the College Church Fellowship Hall and are free and open to the public. For more information on the Afternoon Sabbatical series call the Goshen College Welcome Center at (574) 535-7566.

Future programs in the Afternoon Sabbatical series include:

Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011, at 1 p.m. in Sauder Concert Hall, Music Center

“Celebrating Christmas in Art,” by Merrill Krabill, professor of art and department chair

At Christmas Jesus’ coming to earth is celebrated. How might artists help reveal some of what it means to encounter the divine? God in the form of a human infant seems to be a very different thing than God as the ruler of all. Krabill will explore these thoughts with images from the works of a wide variety of artists.

Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 at 1 p.m. in Sauder Concert Hall, Music Center

“Goshen’s Coffee Connection,” by Rosalyn Troiano, CSA string director, and a “merry band” of performers and singers

Love coffee? Zimmermann’s Coffee House, from right here in Sauder Concert Hall, will present a delightful performance of “The Coffee Cantata” by J. S. Bach. Rosalyn Troiano and a “merry band” of instrumentalists will perform this humorous, coffee-loving cantata, featuring Danilelle Svonavec, soprano, Scott Hochstetler, baritone, and Jeff Martin, tenor.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College Acting News Bureau Coordinator Alysha Bergey Landis at (574) 535-7762 or alyshabl@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report‘s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.

The Board took the action during its regular meeting, June 3-4, and today released a Decision Statement, which is available at www.goshen.edu/anthem.

The Board expressed a strong commitment to advancing with President Brenneman the vision for Goshen College to be an influential leader in liberal arts education with a growing capacity to serve a theologically, politically, racially and ethnically diverse constituency both within and beyond the Mennonite church. The Board concluded that continuing to play the national anthem compromised the ability of college constituents to advance the vision together.

“The Board has a diversity of views on this issue as reflected throughout the process of considering the anthem,” said Rick Stiffney of Goshen, the chair of the Board. “The Board itself struggled with significant differences and conflicting perspectives, so this decision was not easy and took many hours of discernment and prayer. Our resolution represents our best effort to find a path of wisdom that we could endorse together.

“We recognize that some people may not be satisfied with this decision, but we believe it is the right one for Goshen College. We also believe this decision will enable the college and the board to move forward and prepare with joy for the 2011-2012 academic year.”

Responding to the decision, President Brenneman said, “I am convinced that Goshen College is on a challenging and rewarding journey toward becoming a more diverse institution that serves an increasingly diverse community. I am hopeful that this resolution will help Goshen College move forward together, and focus on finding new ways to welcome students from our local and regional community.”

Carlos Romero, executive director of the Mennonite Education Agency and an ex-officio member of the Board, affirmed the decision and the message he said it will communicate to the college’s constituents, Mennonite Church USA members and other people of faith.

“Goshen College has been and remains a ministry of Mennonite Church USA with an enduring peace tradition,” Romero said. “The Board’s decision reflects a belief that faith and honoring country can co-exist without disturbing higher allegiances to God and that Goshen College will become increasingly diverse and will welcome diverse viewpoints.”

Romero also commended the Board, President Brenneman and the President’s Council for carefully studying, discussing and prayerfully deciding the anthem issue. “The willingness to listen and learn from one another has indeed modeled a process to the wider church and community about how to engage difficult issues. In today’s polarized culture, that is indeed an important gift,” he said.

Goshen College had not played the Star-Spangled Banner prior to sporting events, since beginning to participate in intercollegiate athletics in 1957, although it was never officially banned from campus. The U.S. tradition of performing the national anthem before baseball games began during World War II.

In January 2010, the Goshen College President’s Council, led by President Brenneman, decided to allow the college’s Athletic Department to play an instrumental version of the national anthem prior to some sporting events beginning that spring.

In mid-February 2010, the college’s Board of Directors affirmed the decision of the President’s Council and asked the college’s leadership to create opportunities for thoughtful and prayerful discernment in ongoing structured dialogue, especially with those beyond the college community (alumni and others). The Board also decided at that time that the decision would be reviewed in June 2011.

Goshen College is a ministry of Mennonite Church USA, an historic peace church. The denomination does not have an official position on the playing of the national anthem, and there are varying practices regarding the anthem among the other four Mennonite colleges and universities.

—Written by Richard R. Aguirre

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College Director of Public Relations Richard R. Aguirre at (574) 535-7571 or rraguirre@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.

• VIDEOS from this convocation are available in the multimedia section of the national anthem overview page
• FULL-TEXT of President Brenneman’s introduction
• FULL-TEXT of Dr. Kathy Meyer Reimer’s presentation
• FULL-TEXT of Dr. Joe Liechty’s presentation

Visit the national anthem overview page, with more news and views about the college’s decision.

GOSHEN, Ind. — Two Goshen College faculty members united in their commitment to pacifism, the teachings of the Mennonite church and extending Christian hospitality to others presented conflicting opinions on playing the national anthem before sports events at the college.In a March 24 campus convocation, students, faculty, staff and alumni were treated to fast-paced presentations by Kathy Meyer Reimer, professor of education and chair of the department, and Joe Liechty, professor of peace, justice and conflict studies and chair of the department. Meyer Reimer and Liechty argued their positions with theological sophistication, intensity and civility.

The 33-minute convocation, titled “Perspectives on the Anthem,” took place the morning after the national anthem was played before college sports events for the first time ever. The anthem was played March 23 before a baseball team doubleheader against Siena Heights University and softball team doubleheader against St. Joseph’s College.

In an introduction to the convocation, President Jim Brenneman said it is important to discuss complex issues with academic vigor and a spirit of love. And the college, he said, is committed to continued conversation on the anthem issue. “In a world where we have been so acculturated to disagree with each other in increasingly disagreeable ways, we have a moral imperative to model civil dialogue as the first principle of a Christ-centered peacemaking option,” he said.

Meyer Reimer began her presentation by stating that Goshen’s decision to play the anthem had removed “one of the symbols and sacred rituals borne out of Anabaptist convictions about nationalism. The anthem controversy also speaks to how we make decisions both large and small when there are conflicts between what we feel is asked of us by our faith and by the good country in which we live.”

She said those who approved playing the anthem in order to extend hospitality to non-Mennonite student-athletes and coaches may have made the college less hospitable. “If we want people who are not familiar with Anabaptism to understand some of the assumptions basic to practices that happen at Goshen College, we need to be clear and willing to talk about the core Anabaptist beliefs that become rituals,” she said.

Meyer Reimer said Mennonite and Anabaptist beliefs about militarism, nationalism and patriotism often are misunderstood as a lack of appreciation for the country. “Anabaptist Mennonites have not expressed gratitude for those things they appreciate about living in the United States as often as they could or potentially should,” she said, “but it is not that they haven’t, on the whole, worked for the good of their communities or been of great service in times of national disasters.”

She also said that Anabaptist Mennonites don’t pledge allegiance to any country or anything but God because of their faith understandings.

“There is an understanding that God loves all of God’s people — that God does not bless one nation more than another in a material or spiritual sense because God does not think one country is better than another,” Meyer-Reimer said. “If our country violates the rights of other people in other places — through war, oppression or other action — Anabaptist Mennonites believe God calls us to speak on behalf of their welfare as much as we would if they were our neighbors next door. Of Jesus’ two most important commandments — to love God and to love your neighbor — the critical thing is how Jesus interpreted these. Jesus defined neighbor in inclusive and non-nationalistic ways.”

Meyer Reimer said that she believes the anthem is too closely linked to national loyalty and to militarism to be played without sending a mixed message at the college, which promotes compassionate peacemaking and global citizenship. The college also should more strongly promote pacifism, she said.

“Our not playing the anthem should have been more clearly linked to living out biblical passages of ‘you shall not kill,’ ‘blessed are the peacemakers’ and ‘love your enemies and do good to those who hurt you’ — prophetic, costly, biblical principles upon which the teachings in Anabaptism were founded,” she said. “As Goshen College engages our country and our culture, we decide on many issues whether to assimilate or to live in alternative ways — when to be people of assent and when to be people of dissent.”

Liechty began his presentation by stating that he grew up uneasy about patriotism. “I was in second grade when I decided that I shouldn’t say the pledge of allegiance, and I didn’t. As a high school student during the Vietnam War, I experimented with not standing for the national anthem, but then I decided that standing was the cost of playing basketball and football at Goshen High School, and so I stood, praying that God would understand that I was at least grumpy in my heart,” he said. “Today, I don’t sing the national anthem or put my hand over my heart, which is a gesture that gets way too close to devotion for my comfort, although I do always stand for the anthem out of respect for those for whom the anthem is important.”

Despite misgivings, Liechty said he supported playing the anthem before campus sports events to promote the welfare of the college community. In reaching that conclusion, Liechty said he balanced one faith commitment to refuse militarism and the excesses of nationalism and another faith commitment that a Christian college must promote hospitality and inclusion. “One commitment cannot simply trump the other; both need to be taken seriously.”

Liechty drew a distinction between the hospitality at a Mennonite church and a Mennonite college. “To the 45 percent of our students who come from other religious traditions, or no religious traditions, we say, ‘If you can embrace our core values — that we seek to nurture graduates who are Christ-centered, passionate learners, servant leaders, compassionate peacemakers, and global citizens — even in fact if you can just tolerate and respect the core values, you are part of this learning community. You are not simply suffered… You are not a guest; you are family.’”

Because of that, Liechty said Goshen College should accommodate reasonable requests, such as playing the anthem. “When I think about what the anthem means, I conclude that it does not have a fixed, inherent meaning.” He said that since the college has decided that the anthem will be followed by the reading of the Prayer of St. Francis, “it would be hard for anyone to go away with the idea that Goshen College supports militarism and nationalism.”

Liechty also said that he believes the college can play the anthem without undermining its commitment to peace.

“By just about any comparative measure, it’s hard to imagine a place where peace has a more prominent role, where it is more honored, more reflected upon, more acted on. We can afford to honor the desire of community members who want to play the anthem,” he said. “For those of us who have wanted not playing the anthem to be a witness in relation to militarism and nationalism, we will need to find other ways, and we can.”

In his concluding remarks, President Brenneman thanked Meyer Reimer and Liechty for demonstrating “passionate learning and compassionate peacemaking at its best” and called for continued conversation. “Let us now leave more able to put into practice peaceful dialogue with those with whom we differ.”

In January, the Goshen College President’s Council, led by President Brenneman, decided to allow the college’s Athletic Department to play an instrumental version of the national anthem prior to some sporting events beginning this spring.

In mid-February, the college’s Board of Directors affirmed the decision of the President’s Council and asked college’s leadership to create opportunities for thoughtful and prayerful discernment in ongoing structured dialogue. They also decided that the decision will be reviewed by the Board in June 2011.

Though the college has had a practice of not playing the Star-Spangled Banner prior to sporting events, since beginning to participate in intercollegiate athletics in 1957, it was never officially banned. The U.S. tradition of performing the national anthem before baseball games began in World War II.

Goshen College is owned by Mennonite Church USA, an historic peace church. The denomination does not have an official position on the playing of the national anthem, and there are varying practices among the other four Mennonite colleges and universities.

—Written by Richard R. Aguirre

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.