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Large pieces of Thresher Gym floor being auctioned

Bethel College is auctioning off two large pieces of the old floor from Thresher Gymnasium.

Each piece, adorned with the word “Thresh-ers” in maroon, measures 15 by 6.5 feet and weighs about 500 pounds. Each is composed of tongue-and-groove maple pieces with a thick varnish finish and is held together by sleepers on the back side. Buyers bid on each piece separately.

To view the live auction, see pictures and place a bid, visit eBay. Tony Graber ’73 from the Bethel Financial Aid Office has agreed to list this under his personal account, 5406trg.

The auction will run for 10 days; it started on April 24 and will end at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday, May 4. All proceeds will help fund new bleachers for Thresher Gym.

Winning bidders are responsible for onsite pickup, transportation and unloading.

To see photos and for updates on these items, visit www.facebook.com/BethelThreshers.

Alumni, friends invited to give to Bethel

Bethel’s fiscal year ends June 30, and the college invites alumni and friends to support the Bethel College Fund.

Unrestricted gifts -- those not designated for a specific program or cause -- go to the Bethel College Fund, which provides necessary support for scholarships, academic programs, faculty development, campus landscaping, technology upgrades and many more aspects that benefit our students.

Gifts to the annual fund also help Bethel respond to various unexpected needs and opportunities as they arise.

Help us reach our goal of $1.4 million by going to www.bethelks.edu/gift/. You also may mail a gift prior to June 30 to Development Office, Bethel College, 300 E. 27th St., North Newton, KS 67117.

Thank you for your generous support of Bethel College.

Students present research at national conference

Two Bethel students presented their research at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) April 3-5 on the campus of the University of Kentucky, Lexington.

Seniors Laura Jensen, Everest, and Rachel Unruh, Raytown, Mo., exhibited a poster based on their work in a Cognitive Psychology laboratory in spring 2013.

“It was very meaningful to me to be able to compare the methods of data collection available to us here at Bethel to other larger schools that presented research at NCUR,” said Jensen, a psychology major. “No great difference was greatly apparent. Some students that visited our poster were even surprised and impressed by our use of EEG caps.

“Before going, I was greatly intimidated by other student researchers,” she continued, “but once I visited other presentations and posters, I realized just how well Bethel has prepared us to fit in with other top universities.

“In all, the conference increased my confidence and excitement in doing further research and continuing on to graduate school.”

“The entire experience was quite beneficial and really gave us a chance to learn a lot about different research methods used across the country,” said Unruh, who is also a psychology major. “It was exciting to talk about the work we did at Bethel and hear a variety of perspectives from other students at different institutions.”

Jensen and Unruh did their study, which they titled “Stereotype Spillover Effects on Women in Mathematics,” in collaboration with other members of their Cognitive Psychology class. They based it on previous literature on stereotype threat in women with reference to mathematics testing and stereotype spillover.

To see more of this article, visit www.bethelks.edu/news-events/news/post/4992/.

Gonzalez blazes trails in research, education

Time management is crucial to a successful college career -- and Bethel senior Guadalupe Gonzalez of Newton is a perfect illustration.

Gonzalez juggles four campus jobs with completing two majors -- business and psychology -- in addition to putting countless hours into research she has presented to peers from all over the United States.

And when Gonzalez graduates from college in May, she will be, as far as she knows, the first person in her extended family to do so.

“It’s been exciting,” she said, “but a lot of pressure. I have to set an example for my brother, my sister, my younger cousins.” Gonzalez’s sister, Azucena, is completing her first year at Bethel.

“But it’s been good, seeing that I can do it,” said Gonzalez, whom her friends call Lupita. “My family members are really happy for that. I’ll have family from Iowa and Chicago coming for graduation. My grandma is already here from Mexico.”

Gonzalez was born in Peoria, Ill. Her family moved frequently until settling in Newton in 2000 -- they lived in Mexico, Texas, Chicago and Los Angeles.

To read more of this article, visit www.bethelks.edu/news-events/news/post/5001/.

Bethel signs agreement to foster exchange with Chinese college

Bethel College has taken the next step in its ongoing “China Studies Initiative.”

Brad Born ’84, vice president for academic affairs, was in Guangzhou, China, March 27-30, on the campus of Zengcheng College of South China Normal University, to sign an agreement to foster an exchange between Zengcheng and Bethel.

The agreement “sets the terms for accepting up to six to eight students a year to study for one semester at Bethel,” Born said. It could start with the 2014-15 school year, depending on how quickly Zengcheng College is able to find interested students.

The agreement is with Zengcheng’s International College, where all 1,000 students study a foreign language. The benefit for them in coming to Bethel, Born said, is to improve their English and their cultural experience with the United States -- seen as helping students toward better future opportunities, whether studying or working in China or elsewhere.

Bethel President Perry D. White said, “We believe our students and college community will benefit from such an exchange and opportunity to engage with members of [Zengcheng College].”

Born first visited Zengcheng College last summer, along with Bethel’s Chinese-language instructor, Lijun Zhu.

She was the connection to Professor Huang Xiaoqun, now executive vice-dean of the International College, who previously directed the Confucius Institute at The University of Kansas.

For more of this article, visit www.bethelks.edu/news-events/news/post/4990/.

May 23 discount deadline for Alumni Banquet, Weekend

All alumni and friends of Bethel are invited to the Alumni Banquet from noon-2 p.m., Saturday, June 7, in Memorial Hall. The annual event -- at a new time and three weeks later than in the past -- honors alumni award recipients and the spring reunion classes, with special recognition of the “Golden Thresher” class.

Two alumni will be recognized for their accomplishments: Leona Penner ’66, Lincoln, Neb., will receive the Outstanding Alumnus Award, and Peter Goering ’77, Silver Spring, Md., the Distinguished Achievement Award. For more information about these individuals, go to www.bethelks.edu/alumni/alumni-awards/.

A dessert reception with the award recipients is scheduled for 2-3 p.m. Saturday, June 7, in the cafeteria of Schultz Student Center. The reception also honors retired faculty and staff.

Discount price for the banquet is $22.50 if paying by May 23, $25 regular price May 26-28. For reservations, contact Thresher Bookstore in Schultz Student Center, 316-284-5205. Payment or credit card information is required when the reservation is made. No refunds can be given after May 30, since after that the Alumni Office will have been charged for reserved meals. Those attending the banquet receive a nametag at the door, which serves as their ticket.

The theme for Alumni Weekend is “Back to Bethel!” This year’s extended event, June 6-8, features opportunities to stay on campus, volunteer, attend enrichment classes, sing and worship together. The Classes of 1954, 1959 and 1964 and the 1967 European tour choir will gather for reunion dinners Saturday night.

Information was mailed to all alumni in late March. If you did not receive it, go to www.bethelks.edu/alumni-weekend or contact the alumni office at alumni@bethelks.edu or 316-284-5251.

Those with class years ending in 4 and 9 will be observe 10th- through 45th-anniversary reunions at Fall Festival, Saturday, Oct. 18.

Accounting concentration, health studies certificate added

Bethel College recently made two curriculum additions: an Accounting concentration (part of the business major) and a certificate in Interprofessional Health Studies.

“Accounting is an area of study often cited by Kansas high school graduates and our prospective students as a desired program,” said Brad Born ’84, vice president for academic affairs, “and accounting and finance careers are an important track for college graduates.

“Adding a Finance/Accounting concentration in our business administration major responds to that student need, and strengthens the business and economics department.”

The Interprofessional Health Studies certificate is designed to bring together students with varied interests in health-related and human service professions to help them see their own chosen profession in the context of the many that provide health care and mental health care.

Today, it is becoming more and more common for health-care and mental health-care providers to work together in professional teams, Born said.

That means each team member should be able to appreciate the contributions of those with professional training different from her/his own.

For more of this article, visit www.bethelks.edu/news-events/news/post/4995/.

New museum exhibit explores Mennonite life, death, honor

Kauffman Museum is highlighting Mennonite heritage with the special exhibition “What’s Old is New: Recent Acquisitions to Our Mennonite Collections,” open through May 18.

“What’s Old is New” features Mennonite furniture, bonnets that contrast the “plain” dress of Swiss German Mennonites with the “fancy” dress of South Russian immigrants, and artifacts from Mennonite congregations in the central Great Plains.

“One of my favorite artifacts is the wooden burial map for the Catlin Mennonite Cemetery near Peabody,” said Jocelyn Wilkinson, museum intern and a senior history major at Bethel.

“So many of the other artifacts are about the lives people lived -- whether told through their travel trunk, wardrobe or rocking chair -- but this tells of their death. It’s an interesting juxtaposition.”

Two wardrobes from Mennonite families are evidence of daily life and the immigration experience. Kauffman Museum borrowed both for a special exhibition in 1990. In the last two years, both became part of the museum’s permanent collection of Mennonite immigrant furniture.

The Funk wardrobe shows the construction and painted wood graining associated with the Vistula Delta style. Made in 1887, the wardrobe was owned by Gerhard Funk, who lived in the Bruderthal community near Hillsboro.

To read more of this article, visit www.bethelks.edu/news-events/news/post/4998/.

Beyond the selfie: Students learn to take a better photo

Many students at Bethel College have snapped up the chance to join one of the college’s newest clubs, and to get exposed to photography learning experiences.

One of the first convocations of the school year features different student groups giving plugs for their club or organization, with information booths outside the auditorium afterward where other students can sign up.

“We’re gotten over 50 people interested” in the Bethel Photography Club, said Audra Miller, the club’s student representative and a fifth-year senior from Hesston. The club was a new option this year.

Miller, who has been taking photos for years and even has her own business, Miller Photography, led a shutter-speed workshop during this past January interterm.

Students and one staff member, Paige Townley, learned about different shutter speeds and using a higher speed to stop action. The shorter the time the camera’s shutter is open, the better it will freeze action.

For more of this article, visit http://www.bethelks.edu/news-events/news/post/4989/.

Committee seeks award nominations

The Awards Committee of the Bethel College Alumni Association invites nominations for alumni awards: Young Alumnus, Outstanding Alumnus and Distinguished Achievement. The committee will begin the selection process for 2015 when it meets in mid-May.

The Young Alumnus Award recognizes character and citizenship, achievement or service rendered, honor and recognition received; the recipient should be age 39 or younger. The Outstanding Alumnus Award is given on the basis of character and citizenship, service to church/community or college, or other outstanding achievements, honors and recognition. The Distinguished Achievement Award acknowledges character and citizenship, achievement in a chosen profession or vocation, and work of benefit to humanity.

The committee welcomes a broad range of nominees who reflect Bethel’s many programs, college experiences and diversity as well as achievement or service in a variety of areas. Award recipients must be graduates of Bethel, or the college was their terminal or only post-secondary educational experience. An exception may be made in the case of couples, where one of the individuals meets the guidelines fully but the other does not.

Send names with comments and accompanying documentation, if possible, to alumni@bethelks.edu or Office of Alumni Relations, Bethel College, 300 E. 27th St., North Newton, KS 67117.

Summer Art Academy offers sessions for all ages

A Summer Art Academy, a creative retreat for all ages, will be offered this summer.

Adult sessions are $425 each plus the cost of materials. Five adult sessions will be offered. These include “Sculpting the Figure in Clay” from May 26-30, “Creating a Dinnerware Set” from June 2-6, “Art in Your Pocket” from June 16-20, “Cloisonne Enameling” June 23-27 and “Learning to See: Approaches to Black and White Film Photography June 23-27.” Adult classes will meet from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. with a one-hour lunch break.

Youth sessions, which cost $100 plus any materials fees listed online, are:

  • “Play’n in the Mud” from 1-2 p.m. June 2. Those attending will learn about clay hand building and sculpture.
  • “Shutterbugs” from 8-9:30 a.m. June 9. This is for all beginning photographers. Class members should have a digital camera and be willing to be in a paint “fight.”
  • “Project Runway” from 8-9:30 a.m. June 9. Those attending will learn sewing basics.

All classes will be in the Franz Art Building. For more information, visit www.bethelks.edu/art-academy/.

Tyrell to speak about student Haiti experiences

Geri Tyrell, assistant professor of nursing, will be the featured speaker June 5 at the annual Public Faculty Lecture sponsored by the Bethel College Women’s Association.

Her presentation will illustrate the experiences that Bethel College students have had in travel to Haiti during the last three years, and will focus on the opportunities for students to develop critical thinking skills, resource management and an appreciation for Haitian culture.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in Krehbiel Auditorium. The public is invited to the meeting and the reception that follows.

Purchase a piece of college history to help fund bleachers

A limited quantity of 8.5-by-8.5-inch pieces of the Thresher Gym floor, replaced in fall 2013, will be available for purchase at $49.99, including tax.

Each piece is backed with birch plywood and adorned with a 2.5-by-3.5-inch printed metal commemorative tag. Proceeds from the sale of the pieces will go toward new bleachers in the gym. The floor pieces can be purchased with cash, check or credit card by contacting Matt Hein ’09, associate director of development, at mhein@bethelks.edu or 316-284-5357 and also in the Bethel College Bookstore by mid-May. If purchased from within a 20-mile radius of campus, your piece will be personally delivered. Otherwise, please add $10 to your order to cover priority shipping.

“Help us reach our goal of new Thresher Gym bleachers, and get your piece of athletic history before they all disappear,” Hein said.

Floor pieces will be available for sale by mid-May. To pre-order your piece today, contact Hein at the above contact information.

For updates on these items, visit www.facebook.com/BethelThreshers.

Enrollment still open for summer camp registrations

Bethel College is offering the following camps this summer:

Kauffman Museum again has a schedule of Uncle Carl’s Camps, which are week-long, half-day educational camps for children age 4-18. For more information on Uncle Carl’s Camps, including price, time and detailed descriptions, go to http://www.bethelks.edu/community/events/summer-camps/uncle-carls-camps/ or contact Andi Schmidt Andres ’84 at asa@bethelks.edu or 316-283-1612. The basic schedule is as follows:

  • May 27-30, “Little Houses on the Prairie,” Kristin Neufeld Epp ’95, North Newton, ages 4 and 5 and not yet in kindergarten
  • June 2-6, “Traveling the Ancient World,” Brian Skinner ’13, Newton, youth who have finished grades third through sixth
  • June 9-13, “Oral History Project: Passing on Traditions,” Karen Kreider Yoder, Goshen, Ind., finishes seventh through 12th grades
  • June 16-20 mornings, “Figuratively Speaking 1” art camp, LaDonna Unruh Voth ’86, Newton, finished kindergarten through second grade
  • June 16-20 afternoons, “Figuratively Speaking 2” art camp, LaDonna Unruh Voth ’86, Newton, finished third through sixth grades
  • June 23-27, “Survivor: Prairie,” Amber Celestin ’04, Bloomington, Ind., finished kindergarten through second grade

The Summer Science Institute will be from June 1-6. The institute is open to students entering grades 10 through 12 and, if space is available, to 2014 high school graduates. The $50 fee includes lodging in a residence hall, meals in the cafeteria, readings, a T-shirt and one hour of college credit. Enrollment is limited to 36. For more information, contact Marilyn Flaming at 800-522-1887 extension 229 or mflaming@bethelks.edu. To enroll, visit www.bethelks.edu/community/events/summer-camps/summer-science-institute/.

There also will be a Lady Thresher Basketball Camp for youth from May 27-30. A summer league for sixth- and seventh-grade girls will be Monday evenings in June and July 7. For more information, call 316-284-5311.