Friday, March 19, 2004
Rivalry's roots run deep
by Jeremy B. Yoder
To most EMU students, Goshen College is the other Mennonite school, the one they almost chose, the one they never even considered, or the one they sometimes think they should transfer to - and above all else, the liberal one.
That image dates back to EMU’s founding, but though it was clearly true when eastern conservative Mennonites founded a school to counter the liberalism they feared in the western part of the church, it is less so now.
Assistant Professor of History Mark Metzler Sawin, a Goshen grad working at EMU, did a lot of research on just that subject for a presentation he gave at a February 2003 forum held by the Listening and Facilitation Team (LiFT). He told The Agora that the eastern Mennonite school was founded because the western one made some Mennonites nervous.
In the first decades of the twentieth century, the rise of fundamentalism - belief in the Bible’s inerrancy and the ‘pre-millennial’ idea that saving souls was more important than solving social problems - created divisions in the Mennonite church, Sawin explained.
Western Mennonites embraced education and built their own schools, including Goshen College, which boasted a faculty educated at Harvard, Columbia, and the University of Chicago.
Those Mennonites who were heavily influenced by fundamentalist ideas, mostly easterners in the old Mennonite Church, decided to set up a school that didn’t worry them. They called it Eastern Mennonite School to make the difference clear. “‘Eastern’ is part of the title is because we’re not those western Mennonites, who are liberal, and we’re not Goshen,” said Sawin.
In his 1913 inaugural speech, Goshen’s president J.E. Hartzler praised “liberal education and culture,” adding that “the most erroneous view one can take of religion is that it is one unchanging body of dogma.” This horrified fundamentalists, who held that the Bible was God’s literal and unchanging word. EMU’s motto “Thy word is truth,” was chosen as a refutation of sentiments like Hartzler’s.
Goshen’s critics balked at its embrace of modern ideas like evolutionary theory and higher Biblical criticism, and in 1923 the Mennonite Board of Education shut down the college, rehiring only those professors who agreed to uphold fundamentalist values.
By contrast, Eastern Mennonite School was firmly fundamentalist. Its 1918-19 Annual Catalog contained a statement of purpose which asserted that “The Church needs many workers and few scholars,” and that “mental discipline and the acquisition of knowledge have value only as they contribute ... to the salvation of souls, to the upholding of the Church, and to the glory of God.”
Both schools have changed since then - EMU now teaches both evolutionary theory and higher criticism - to the point that the differences are probably not very significant, but the stereotypes live on.
“When I came here, I definately heard anti-Goshen rhetoric,” said Sawin. “Older faculty would say ‘Oh, you came from Goshen’ - joking, but still there.”
Sawin conceded that the two campuses feel different, but called this “cultural overlays.”
“What is different is Goshen ... is more centered around its arts and literary circles,” he said, “which I think allows social deviance maybe to a higher degree.”
“In terms of faculty, in terms of administrative decisions, I don’t think Goshen is any more liberal than EMU,” he added. “In fact, EMU has been pushing boundaries more ... than Goshen.”
Adventures beyond the EMU bubble
By Michael J. Sharp
I thought college was great – even the academic aspect wasn’t too bad. I didn’t want to leave, and I’m ready to go back once I save up enough money. But you know, going out into the “real world” is kind of interesting. The following are two experiences from my first week after leaving campus.
BATS & REAL ESTATE TYCOONS
One day on a job working for a real estate tycoon, I was one of three workers to inform a renter that he needed to move out since he wasn’t paying. The renter didn’t find this agreeable, so he came at us with a Louisville Slugger aluminum bat.
Now I thought back to the two real world seminars I went to (I’m not counting “Pretty in Pink, Melon, or Frost”), and I couldn’t think of any that applied to this real world situation. As it turns out, though, the other two guys with me were veterans of foreign wars. One was in the army and took part in the invasion of Grenada before he was shot through the hip. The other was a special forces marine during Korea. So, I backed up slowly while the special forces marine proceeded to break both of the assailant’s kneecaps. Hmm, that must have been from the “How to Permanently Disable Someone” seminar that I slept through.
The moral of this particular story is: if you don’t attend all the real world seminars during your years at EMU, always have a special forces guy around.
REAL WORLD EVANGELISM
Being the evangelist that I am, I decided to talk to the army veteran Harold about his carrying a gun with him all the time. I explained that it really wasn’t necessary – especially in a place like Goshen. He told me a story: When he was 10, his grandpa told him two things that he’s never forgotten. Number one, “There’s nothing worse than needing a gun and not having one.” Number two, “An unloaded gun never does anyone a lick of good.” He’s carried a gun with him ever since, proudly pointing out that he’s only had to use it twice.
The next day he had another story. He had been driving home the night after our talk when his truck stalled and wouldn’t start again. He had it on the side of the road and was looking under the hood when a group of guys got out of a car, hit him in the back of the head with a lead pipe. After kicking him for a while, they took his wallet and started to run away. He just reached into his pocket and pulled out his trusty .45 magnum and shot one of the guys. The police showed up and followed the blood trail to the attacker, who gave up the names of the rest of the group. “What,” Harold asked, “would I have done without a gun in that situation?”
Like a good Mennonite who’s read some John Howard Yoder, I made a few points, but they didn’t seem to hold up for this guy who could only open one eye and looked like a bearded, black and blue Quasimodo.
With tongue in cheek: Justin Hawkins: EMU poster boy?
By Andrew Jenner
With the recent graduation of Micah Robinson, EMU lost its brightest star in the field of official publication stardom. This dreadlocked, stunning young African-American man was featured on countless phone directories, course catalogs and sports brochures, conveying to others the diverse, bubbly atmosphere that exists on campus.
Just when the future of EMU propaganda seemed uncertain, however, I became aware of another on campus with enough potential in the publication field to perhaps even surpass the great Robinson himself. Yes, indeed, there is another gorgeous, huggable, dreadlocked black guy on campus named…Justin Hawkins. He has an unconventional piercing in his ear, longer dreadlocks than Micah, and yet feels totally safe to approach. I caught up with Justin in his Hair House basement apartment.
Agora: Do you anticipate being called on to serve as EMU’s next poster boy for multicultural appeal?
Justin Hawkins: [Laughs]. Seems likely…yeah. I’m disappointed that I haven’t been called on yet. Micah Robinson doesn’t even attend EMU anymore, and he still gets featured on publications. When are they gonna give another guy with dreadlocks a chance?
A: What unique contributions will you bring to this role?
JH: Ah yes. Longer dreadlocks.
A: Any comment on the disproportionate numbers of minorities featured on EMU publications?
JH: Hard to say, like, yeah. [Laughs].
A: Be honest – did you grow dreadlocks in the hope that you might one day grace the directory cover? Is your exotic-yet-approachable look authentic, or a brilliantly conceived PR move?
JH: It’s true. It’s PR. What’s PR?
A: Public Relations
JH: Word. It was brilliantly conceived PR. Being black wasn’t good enough, so I grew dreadlocks to look like I have some culture to me, but it hasn’t gotten me on the cover yet. It’s hard to say what I’ll do next.
A: Who else would you identify as someone with potential in the EMU propaganda arena?
JH: Um…this Russ Rodriguez. This hot Russ Rodriguez. He’s probably the only Mexican male at EMU.
A: I have never been featured on an EMU publication cover. How should I achieve this goal?
JH: Well, huh…hmm…It’s a good question. I don’t think you have much of a chance. They’re not looking for people like you. You’re not the flavor of the week.
A: What do you think your picture, featured on the course catalog, would say about our institution?
JH: Well if they had two guys with dreadlocks, it’s hard to say what people would say about our institution. People would probably think there’s mad diversity on campus…like black Mennonites.
A: What will be your signature pose – Absorbed in a book in the bowels of Hartzler library? Frolicking with a Frisbee on the front lawn? Engaged in jovial conversation with a group of smiling, racially diverse young men and women?
JH: Seems like the last one. How many more questions are you gonna ask?
A: Just one more. Micah left some big, handsome shoes to fill. Are you up for the challenge?
JH: Yeah. Most definitely.
