May 2016

Anton Bruckner and Ludwig van Beethoven headline the annual Masterworks concert at Bethel College.

The Bethel College Oratorio Chorus and the Bethel College Philharmonia present the overture to Beethoven’s opera Fidelio, his Fantasia for piano, orchestra and chorus, and Te Deum by Bruckner, with vocal soloists, May 8 at 3 p.m. in Memorial Hall.

Tickets are $12 adults, $10 students, $6 high school students and $5 Bethel faculty, staff and students. They are on sale at Thresher Shop in Schultz Student Center, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Mon.–Fri. (phone 316-284-5205), or at the door.

Karen Bauman Schlabaugh, professor of music at Bethel, is the featured pianist for the Fantasia. Soloists for the Te Deum are Bethel music faculty Soyoun Chun (pictured), soprano, and William Eash, bass, and Bethel alumni Monica Schmidt ’11, Newton, mezzo-soprano, and Nathan Snyder ’12, Greeley, Colorado, tenor.

Chris David Westover, Bethel director of instrumental music, is the music director for the 2016 Masterworks performance. . . .

The second Erwin C. and Verna Kaufman Goering Award will be presented during the mid-point of the concert to Rupert Hohmann ’49 of North Newton, former Bethel music professor and professor emeritus of music at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Hohmann grew up as a Bethel College “campus kid,” the son of music professor Walter Hohmann ’15 and Elsbeth Hohmann. Rupert Hohmann attended Newton High School for grade nine and then Mennonite Bible Academy.

Hohmann began studying violin as a child and has played throughout his life. He earned a master’s degree in music from Wichita State University and became the first Newtonian to join the Wichita Symphony Orchestra.

From 1953–55, Hohmann spent two years in I-W service as a music therapist at the Philadelphia State Mental Hospital. He came back to Bethel in 1957 to teach studio violin and music classes and direct the orchestra.

He was the first at Bethel to conduct an opera or musical (in this case, a production of Smetana’s The Bartered Bride) with orchestral accompaniment rather than piano alone. He continued to play with the WSO and soloed with the Newton Mid-Kansas Symphony Orchestra. . . .

In 2014, the family and friends of Verna Kaufman Goering ’37, Moundridge, and the late Erwin C. Goering ’40 established a music award, given biennially, that honors a Bethel alumnus of outstanding character for distinguished achievement and recognition in music.

The awardee may be a professional musician or a volunteer who has served the community; may demonstrate excellence in instrumental music, vocal music and/or conducting; may be a donor whose gifts have substantially strengthened Bethel’s music program. Daniel Hege ’87, music director of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra, received the inaugural Goering Music Award.

Read the complete article.

Three Bethel students presented posters at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research April 7–9 at the University of North Carolina-Asheville. 

Azucena Gonzalez, senior from Newton, Brianna Newport, sophomore from Haysville, and Charity Griffin, freshman from Oklahoma City, traveled to North Carolina. Bethel professor of psychology Dwight Krehbiel (pictured at the right with Griffin, center, and Heather Eddy, senior from Park City, left) advised the students and helped them prepare for the trip.

Nine Bethel students were involved in preparing the posters. 

Gonzalez presented the poster that she, Cayla Lawless, junior from Burlingame, and Jesse Davis, freshman from Centennial, Colorado, had prepared. Their topic was “Early Season to End-of-Season Comparisons of Cognitive Performance in College Football Players.” 

Newport collaborated with Leah Friesen, junior from Henderson, Nebraska, Shaelyn Atwood, sophomore from Sabetha, and Kaitlyn Scribner, junior from Delia. Newport presented the group’s poster, titled “Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Variables Affecting Academic Performance in College Students.”

Griffin presented “The Reliability of the Balance Error Scoring System in the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool.” She and Eddy worked together on the research and poster.

Eight Bethel team members earned the Thresher forensics program a ranking of 35th in the United States when they competed at the American Forensic Association’s National Individual Events Tournament (AFA-NIET) April 2-4 at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Competing alongside schools representing a wide variety of divisions — NAIA, DIII, DII, DI and others — Bethel moved up two spots in the national rankings from their 2015 placement.

While the overall winner was The University of Texas, Bethel came in ahead of other notable schools, including Cornell University, Louisiana State University, Texas Christian University, UC Berkeley and others, as well as Sterling College, the only other Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference school to qualify for and attend the AFA-NIET this year.

“In addition to earning more points and a higher national placement than last year, it was especially rewarding that every single student on the team earned points toward the final team placement,” said Mallory Marsh, head forensics coach.

In fall, all eight team members — Heather Chaney, Candy Dao, Kendra Gonzales, Shekhinah Jones, Emily Kondziola, Autumn Masters, Jacob Miller and Clinton Unruh — will be back at Bethel to compete during the 2016-17 academic year.

The Bethel men’s basketball team will host its second annual fund-raising golf tournament Saturday, May 14. Anyone is welcome to participate in the four-person scramble at Sand Creek Station Golf Course, Newton. The tournament starts at 9 a.m., following check-in.

The deadline to register is May 12. Call Coach Tony Hoops ’05 at 316-284-5391 or e-mail to enter your team today!

Have you made your annual gift to Bethel yet this year? Bethel's fiscal year comes to a close June 30, and every gift toward the 2015–16 Bethel Fund goal of $1.4 million in donations counts!

Undesignated contributions given in response to the annual phonathon go to the fund, as well, supporting the array of opportunities given Bethel students. If you’ve not yet fulfilled your pledge, please do so by the end of June.

It’s easy to give! Just:

• send a check (made payable to “Bethel College”) Development Office, 300 East 27th Street, North Newton, KS 67117
• donate online
• or set up a monthly credit card gift or bank auto-draft by calling 316-284-5250 or e-mailing the Development Office for details.

Bethel appreciates the generous support already given this year and invites others to join those who have already donated. Thank you in advance for your gift as we work to raise $1.4 million and, once again, bring the college’s fiscal year to a satisfying close.

Bethel students launched the spring issue of their literary magazine, YAWP!, April 28 with music, readings and food in Mojo’s.

This is the second printed edition (following online editions in fall 2014 and 2015 and the first printed edition last spring) since the literary magazine underwent its transition to YAWP! from the previous bclines.

A painting by senior Natalie Unruh (pictured), Clay Center, graces the cover. “Harvest is Over” is the title of the art piece.

YAWP! faculty adviser Siobhán Scarry, visiting assistant professor of literary studies, is excited about the new issue.

“It’s double the size of last [spring’s], and absolutely gorgeous,” she said.

The spring 2016 edition of YAWP! includes poetry, fiction, nonfiction and visual art by 21 Bethel students and, for the first time, contributions from an alumnus, Miner Seymour ’91 of Moundridge (two poems and a visual piece).

The issue is available at Thresher Shop during business hours, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday. Copies are free for Bethel students, $3 for others (including faculty and staff).

As Bethel seniors of 2016 celebrate the culmination of their college career, what better way to reward their hard work than a gift from Thresher Shop!

Thresher Shop will be open the week leading up to graduation, as well as the Saturday and Sunday of graduation. However, the store is offering an exclusive online 20-percent discount on apparel to all THRESHEReview readers in advance of graduation.

To receive the discount:

• visit the online store to view the apparel available
• make your selections
• during checkout, enter XO3FL4AAUC3 in the Coupon Code box before proceeding to the payment options.

Pay by credit card or via PayPal. And, Thresher Shop can ship almost anywhere in the world.

If questions, e-mail the shop or call 316-283-2500 during business hours, 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday–Friday.

Kauffman Museum celebrates Bethel’s track and field history as part of its current exhibit, Root for the Home Team: Building Community through Sports, on display through June 5.

Beginning in the mid-1970s members of Bethel track and field teams excelled under the leadership of coach George Rogers ’69. Artifacts on display from that era include the 1974 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference championship banner, 1975 KCAC men’s trophy and the 1979 KCAC women’s banner.

Bethel’s three national champions are featured: John Muthama ’77 (pictured), three-time national champion in the 5,000m and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Track and Field Hall of Fame inductee in 1983; Kendra Doyle ’04, 400m hurdle NAIA champion in 2002; and Jeff Buller ’08, repeat NAIA javelin champion in 2007 and 2008.

Muthama was legendary. At the 1976 KCAC championships he won and set meet records in four events. Muthama continues to hold Bethel records in the 800m, 1500m, 5000m and 3000m steeplechase and still holds the KCAC record in the 1500m set in 1977.

Museum hours are:

Tuesday–Friday:

9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday:

1:30–4:30 p.m.

There still room in this summer’s Uncle Carl’s Camps for children, but the one-week, half-day sessions are filling up. Here’s the lineup:

• May 31–June 3 — Kristin Neufeld Epp ’95 will lead “Little Houses on the Prairie” for preschool children ages 4 and 5.
• June 7–10 — Longtime Uncle Carl’s Camp art teacher LaDonna Unruh Voth ’86 will offer “Behind the Mask” for children ages 6–8.
• June 13–17 — During “Explorations in Archeology,” Nathan Dick ’81 will lead 10-to-12-year-olds on a dig near the museum.
• June 20–24 — Brian Skinner ’13 will combine new technology and historic cultures in “Minecraft and the Museum” for those 9–12.
• June 27–July 1 — The summer schedule will end with Harvey County naturalist Carol Dilts teaching “Prairie Animals” for children ages 6–8.

Each session is $65 for museum members and $80 for non-members. Please inquire about needs-based scholarships.

For more information or to register, e-mail Andi Schmidt Andres or call 316-283-1612. A downloadable brochure is available.