THE
TABOR VIEW
IN THIS ISSUE: Presidential Inauguration Homecoming Preview New Education Commons OCTOBER 2021
CONTENTS
03 .................The Student View 04-05 ......Presidential Inauguration 06.................Homecoming Preview 07 .................Freshman Spotlights 08-09......Sports Updates 10 .................Tabor Sundays/PR Class 11 ...................Movie Review 12 ..................‘Little Women’ Preview 13 ..................New Education Commons 14 ..................Arts Hall of Fame Induction 15 ..................Opinion Pieces
from the
EDITOR
from the view of
STUDENTS
Welcome to our first issue of The Tabor View for this school year. Our Tabor View staff is a group of students who work hard to present the news, information and stories of the Tabor community to the students, employees and friends of Tabor College. In this issue, you will find a significant amount of content that covers the inauguration of President David Janzen. A presidential inauguration has not happened at Tabor since 2008, so we consider it a privilege to cover such a monumental event. Other exciting news stories and features in this October issue include freshmen spotlights, the new Shari Flaming Education Commons and a preview of Homecoming festivities. We as a staff are here to serve you. If you have tips for features or news stories, let us know. Thank you for picking up this copy, and we hope that you enjoy our work! --Toby Penner, Editor
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“I can assure you that, given my long friendship with the Janzens, that Tabor College is in good hands.” Bryce Unruh (G ‘91), Emcee “This inauguration is our way to honor and anticipate the leadership of Dr. Janzen--but also to honor the heritage of Tabor College and the legacy that has been built by so many strong and faithful leaders that have gone before us.” Susan Franz Koslowsky, TC Board of Directors President “What Jesus highlighted was two problems: shepherdless sheep and fruit that needs to be picked. And one solution: laborers….Don’t pray for workers, don’t pray for laborers, unless you’re willing to become the answer to your prayer.” Mike Jordahl, Senior Vice President, The Navigators
President Janzen shakes hands with former Tabor President Vernon Janzen (1980-87) (Photo Credit--Michael Klaassen).
President David Janzen accepts applause and a standing ovation after being introduced as President for the first time (Photo Credit--John Cramer).
Mark Isaac (g’84), pastor of New Life Community Church in Dinuba, California, gives a final blessing over the inauguration and President Janzen (Photo Credit--Michael Klaassen).
Council for Christian Colleges and Universities President Shirley Hoogstra addresses the guests of the inauguration dinner preceding the ceremony (Photo Credit--Michael Klaassen).
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THE SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF THE INAUGURATION (Below) President Janzen paused to take a family picture on this special day. From left to right: daughter Amber, son Alex, wife Karen, son Simon, and Simon’s fiancèe Maddy.
(Left to right) Former presidents Vernon Janzen (1980-1987), Larry Nickel (1998-2007) and Jules Glanzer (2008-2021) line up next to President Janzen.
“I have kept track of (President) David (Janzen), throughout his career, not only as a noted scholar, as an instructor, as an entrepreneur, but as devoted to his family, and above all else, as a faithful follower of Christ, making him known and serving him.” Vernon Janzen, Former Tabor President, 1980-87 “Praise God from whom all blessings flow! These familiar words from the Doxology capture why we are here tonight: to give praise to God for what he has done, what he is doing and what he will do through the people and community of Tabor College.” President David Janzen “I believe in what God has been doing at Tabor College, and I believe the world desperately needs us to continue to carry out our mission of preparing people for a life of learning, work and service for Christ and his Kingdom.” President David Janzen
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THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME (COMING) by Shea Sutherland
Tabor College’s annual Homecoming event is
One particular event that Hamm is
here. This weekend serves as a time to connect, responsible for organizing is the 50-year class reminisce and participate in the numerous reunion. This includes honoring the class of activities hosted on campus for past and current 1972 at the Friday night dinner. students. “The first annual Fall Festival was held on Oct. 7, 1961, and was called a homecoming event that included a soccer game, dedication of athletic fields and an outdoor buffet dinner on the green with a guest lecturer,” said Rod Hamm, director of alumni and donor relations. “The second annual event was officially called Homecoming and included a morning convocation on Friday and an evening meal that was followed by a basketball game.” As alumni migrate back to campus, multiple events will be available to the entire Tabor community. Hamm is one of many who play a big part in coordinating the logistics of this event. “I coordinate each event that takes place over the weekend, making sure that not too many things overlap,” said Hamm.
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The 50-year class reunion represents the purpose of Homecoming well. Homecoming serves as a time to make memories as current students, but it also allows former students to draw on memories with classmates. “The best part about Homecoming for me is seeing people reconnect with one another, including some who haven’t seen each other in 50 years,” said Hamm. Hamm said that other Homecoming activities will include sporting events, such as football and volleyball, and alumni games for baseball, tennis and women’s basketball. In addition, there will be an open house for the Shari Flaming Education Commons, Music Fest, class reunions, a Dutch lunch, taco truck, inflatables for children and the Bluejay Bash.
FRESHMAN SPOTLIGHTS by Danielle Allison
by Cody Meyer
Andelyn Johnson is a freshman from Oakley, Kansas,
Jeff Tuten, a freshman at Tabor College from Scottsdale,
majoring in elementary education. At Tabor, she is involved in
Arizona, is majoring in worship arts with a minor in business
track and field, student senate, Share Prayer & Dare and the
management. He plays shortstop and second base on the
Navigator’s Bible study.
baseball team and is a member of the Contemporary Christian
Andelyn chose to come to Tabor to continue her track and field career, and the main aspect that attracted her to Tabor was the community. “When I was visiting, I really liked the faith-based atmosphere that I felt on Tabor’s campus,” Andelyn said. On Wednesday nights, Andelyn volunteers at Parkview Mennonite Brethren Church, which she said is another way that she feels Tabor is helping her grow spiritually. Throughout the next four years, Andelyn said she is most excited to make memories with all of her friends. During her time at Tabor, Andelyn has decided that her favorite part about Tabor is it being in a small town. “Tabor being in a small town makes me feel like I am right at home,” she said. Andelyn, who has set athletic and academic goals for her time at Tabor, said she is excited to continue her time at Tabor and to grow academically, athletically and spiritually. Above all, she said her ultimate goal is to be prepared to be a good elementary school teacher.
Music (CCM) band. Before coming to Tabor, Jeff was homeschooled and graduated in the spring of 2020, but did not go to college right away like most graduates. Instead, he participated in a grad program where he was able to play baseball, and Tabor eventually recruited him. “I’ve definitely noticed here there’s such an encouraging atmosphere,” Jeff said about playing baseball at Tabor. “It’s been a breath of fresh air.” When he got to Tabor, one thing that Jeff said he was looking forward to was getting to live on his own for the first time, and he has liked having a place that he can make his own. He has also enjoyed getting to make lots of friends and experience God working more in his life. Jeff said he is now looking forward to finishing all of his general education classes at Tabor and to get into more majorspecific classes.
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SPORTS UPDATES
CROSS COUNTRY by Sam Buller Both the men’s and women’s Tabor cross country teams are preparing to move into the second half of their seasons. The men’s team had a rough start to the season, but have been working hard to improve their times. At Tabor’s home meet held Sept. 18, they placed second, and they placed 10th at the Chile Pepper Festival held Oct. 1. The women’s team has seen great success in the first half of their season. They won the home meet and then placed 13th at the Chile Pepper Festival while missing their top runner. With two regular season meets left, the men are sixth and the women are third in the KCAC rankings, and both have good chances to move up. Head Coach Rylan Hincher said he is confident that with a “really good showing (next meet, at Fort Hays State), we should bump up in the rankings.”
FOOTBALL
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by Cody Meyer The Tabor football team came into this season differently than they would come into most seasons. Typically, in the spring semester, there
would be a time for players to heal from injuries from the previous season and for coaches to learn what they had going into next season. However, because COVID-19 forced Tabor to play both in the fall and in the spring, the Bluejays did not have this luxury. “Not having (a normal) spring last year was not advantageous to our situation we have at Tabor,” said Head Coach Mike Gardner. This has led to many freshmen having to step up and play in place of injured veterans, and these young guys are now getting lots of experience. The Bluejays hold a 2-4 overall record, and are 1-4 in conference play. Their victories include a 29-14 win over Arkansas Baptist College and a 2821 thriller against Friends University.
VOLLEYBALL by Ethan Barnes The Tabor volleyball team has had a challenging season so far, having played a nationally ranked team six times. Despite this tough stretch of competition, the Bluejays have an overall record of 9-10.l They are 3-1 in KCAC play, putting them right into the
mix as they sit eighth in the standings with the conference season still young. On Oct. 6 and Oct. 9, the Bluejays defeated both Southwestern and Bethel in straight sets. “The team and I are very positive that it will be a great season,” said freshman libero Naera Tschus. “There is always room for improvement and we are ready to do our best and play for the Lord as a team.”
GOLF
by Mei Kirchhoff The Tabor College men’s and women’s golf teams competed in the fall conference match play Oct. 4-5 in Dodge City, Kansas. For the men, Eli Tufono won all three of his matches including a win against one of the top players from Bethany. The men’s team is led by Tufono, Andreas Aho and Logan Mathews, and they are ranked seventh in the conference. On the women’s side, Valdisa Andov won two of her matches against Southwestern College and Friends University, and she will look to build on her top-five finish in conference. The women are ranked ninth in the conference. “We are still young and hopefully we can keep improving to make a run at the championship in the spring,” said Coach Michael Jamieson. “Everyone is working very hard, and I can’t be more proud of both our teams this year.”
TENNIS
by Danielle Allison The Tabor women’s tennis team has 10 athletes competing on their roster this season. They all played well at the KCAC Fall Championships that took place Sept. 17 and 18. The women’s team had players
that placed higher than seeded in singles competition, with one doubles team placing third and the other fifth. Twelve men are on the tennis team this year and they have already seen improvements in their fall tournaments, and they are looking to continue to improve throughout the fall and into the spring. The men are planning to work weekly to fight for a returning spot to the conference championships in the spring. The teams will compete at two more tournaments during October, and then they will begin preparing for the upcoming spring season.
Sandoval have been constant and reliable for the team. Hurtado works extremely hard all over the field to give her team opportunities to score. Sandoval is a great example of a student athlete, working hard on the field, in the classroom and on campus, which all paid off when she scored the game winning goal against Ottawa. The team faced off against Ottawa University Oct. 2, and they secured the win, 1-0. On Oct. 9, they defeated Sterling 3-0, improving their record to 4-2 in KCAC play, and 6-4-1 overall.
MEN’S SOCCER
by Eric Torrence
by Tyrel Haynes
The Tabor men’s soccer team is off to a big start to the season. The men have played six conference games and won four, including a loss to topranked Oklahoma Wesleyan. A big win in September was a home matchup against nationally ranked McPherson College, 2-0. However, the Bluejays then fell 4-1 at home to Sterling College Oct. 9. The Bluejays have an overall record of 5-6 and are 4-2 in conference play. They are looking to ride this momentum for the rest of the season and into the postseason.
WOMEN’S SOCCER by Destiny Cooper
The Tabor women’s soccer team is having a phenomenal season, despite having a fairly young team and some players stricken with COVID-19. The underclassmen used the opportunity to step up and fill the gap for their teammates, which instilled a “we before me” mentality, according to Head Coach Ian Thomson. Jackie Hurtado and Jazmin
CHEER
The Tabor Cheer team is in a rebuilding phase and is developing a dream culture. They had a great turnout this fall compared to last fall. Several team members play other sports, and navigating a schedule that works for everyone is a challenge at times. Coach Krista Matlock said they have more athletes that can perform gymnastic style routines, and it really adds to the team’s athleticism. At home football games you can feel more energy and noise coming from the student section. The cheerleaders aim to maintain crowd involvement and to keep the fans energized and entertained regardless of how the game is going. Tune in for the squad’s performance at the Homecoming football game Oct. 16.
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TABOR SUNDAYS RETURN by Destiny Cooper
Tabor Sundays are live and back in action! Tabor Sundays are Sundays where local churches host a sermon and lunch to follow for Tabor students. The purpose for Tabor Sundays is so that local churches can show their support and care for the campus and its students while creating an inviting community to students who may be searching for a church home. Last year, due to COVID-19 being so prominent on Tabor’s campus, churches did not host Tabor Sundays in their regular settings. However, a couple churches last year, Parkview MB and Grace Community Fellowship, hosted their Tabor Sundays outside with a delicious meal to follow. The turnout for these two events was great.
Tabor students got to meet many new faces, whether it was a church member or a fellow classmate, all while hearing great worship music, sermons and eating good food. On the other hand, this year’s Tabor Sundays were hosted by Grace Community Fellowship, Parkview MB, Hillsboro MB, and Ebenfeld MB. The turnouts for these churches have been really good. One church has already contacted Pastor Ryan Lee to sign them up for more Tabor Sundays next year. The local churches love hosting Tabor students and getting to know them and being able to invite them into their family. Yes, the food is great but the fellowship created by the churches is even better.
STUDENTS HELP WITH JANZEN INAUGURATION by Sam Buller
The presidential inauguration for President David Janzen took place Sept. 24, marking a momentous occasion for the campus. An event like this could not have come together without the help of Staci Janzen, assistant professor of business administration. Planning for the event began as early as June with monthly meetings that transitioned into weekly meetings once the fall semester started. Going forward in the planning process, Janzen included her BA395 Principles of Public Relations class. “I loved using the students to help,” Janzen said. “The public relations class was able to participate in one of Tabor’s greatest opportunities to connect with our constituency and other public groups.”
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The class not only helped with the organization of the inauguration, but they also organized a separate event that took place the day before the inauguration, “Get to Know Your President,” an open house in the new Shari Flaming Education Commons. Students were in charge of promoting the event as well as offering some of President Janzen’s favorite snacks to visitors and students. This experience will be something that those involved will be able to apply to future concepts in their public relations class. “I loved showing students what that looks like for us here at Tabor,” Janzen said. “It was a good experience to be a part of.”
‘MALIGNANT’ IS A WONDERFUL MESS by David Wiens
“Malignant” is a wonderful mess. It is the type of mess that comes along once or twice per decade. Director James Wan has made a career from bog standard horror movies such as “The Conjuring” and “Insidious,” but “Malignant” is anything but standard. It is a smorgasbord of niche genre influences and absolute nonsense. A James Won movie tends to focus on ambience and people exploring spooky houses. “Malignant” has a spooky house, but it also has Matrixesque fight scenes and ridiculous gore. This is not to say that the film is utter shlock. Most of the time it is, but there are moments of gorgeous cinematography, and the lighting is fantastic. For this film, Won decided to ditch the mostly grey
and smoky aesthetics of his previous work for garish colored lighting to accentuate important scenes. The story follows Madison, played by Annabelle Wallis, a woman with a mysterious past involving a spooky hospital, a conjoined twin and a murder mystery. With this simple premise, the story goes in so many directions that it can come off as incoherent. The inherent weirdness of this film is utterly shocking. It is a big studio movie with millions upon millions of dollars behind it, but it has the sensibilities of an independent film unconstrained by things like general audience appeal. I highly recommend this movie.
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‘LITTLE WOMEN’ PREVIEW by Millie Sechrist
Tabor’s Theatre Department is experiencing a new start, and the opening performance of the year is right around the corner. The cast members of “Little Women” are preparing for their first show under the direction of new professor William Green, and they will perform Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 14-16, at 7:30 p.m. each night. Green is not only an experienced actor but also an experienced director. Although he started his involvement in theatre quite late, he has been a part of over 80 shows. Green said he loves seeing a show come together and seeing the actors and actresses discover the different layers of the show. “They come in thinking this is what the show is, and this is what I am doing,” Green said. “And then as we dig into it, all the new things they discover--the new layers to their character.” Tori Kaiser, sophomore, has enjoyed
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getting to discover her character, Beth. “It’s been fun to figure out who Beth is,” said Kaiser. “I came in not knowing who she is and now I feel like I know her well.” Sophomore Mallory Ediger has experienced a personal connection with her character, Amy March. “As the youngest sister in my own family, I can relate to Amy a lot,” said Ediger. “I feel like I can showcase her ‘youngest sister syndrome’ through Amy because of my real-life experiences.” Tabor’s production of “Little Women” is unique from other shows because of the multilevel set pieces and the use of LED panels in the show. “The LED panels and set will definitely add texture to the show because it creates a more dynamic background,” said Ediger. “They will make the scenes feel more engaging because of the movement.” Green and the cast of “Little Women” are eager to show everyone what they have been working hard to put together. “We are so excited to show the public what can be done here,” said Green. “This is just the tip of the iceberg and I know people will be pleasantly surprised when they come.”
SHARI FLAMING EDUCATION COMMONS OPENS TO STUDENTS
Director Terry Ens, constructed a majority of the new space along with some help from outside community members. “One of the harder things is to make sure we can manage our time to build this project all in-house, (while) still not falling short on all of the other projects we have to do,” said Enns. “We are trying to be diligent with planning with all the other
The Shari Flaming Education Commons, located on the second floor of the library, will make its grand appearance Oct. 16 during Homecoming, after months of renovation. Providing a new space for the Tabor College Education Department has been in the works for over a year. “I started hearing conversations about it from various people at the beginning of the (last) school year,” said Kristen Hays, assistant professor of education, about the new space. The Education Department has transitioned its location from the Lohrenz
things that have to be done.” Not only will you see new technologies and furniture in this new, renovated space, but also the trim that was made possible by repurposing wood from the old bleachers in the gymnasium. The way the staff have designed the classroom will mimic real life elementary and secondary classrooms. “We are trying to replicate any experience you’ll have in the elementary classrooms,” said Hays, adding that students will have a small group setting to practice group reading or math methods. Hays said that the individuals in the Education Department received a lot of liberty with what they wanted in the new space.
building to this state-of-the-art education area in the library. Tabor’s facilities operations, under the leadership of
“We have been allowed to give so much input, and they have been taking our ideas and bringing it to life,” she said.
by Mei Kirchhoff
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FIRST-ANNUAL ARTS HALL OF FAME HONORS INDUCTEES by Jessica Klein
The Shari Flaming Center for the Arts was filled with those eager to celebrate Tabor College’s first-annual Arts Hall of Fame induction ceremony held Aug. 28. The event honored both alumni and former faculty who have excelled in their field of music, theatre or visual arts, while exemplifying Tabor College’s mission statement—to prepare people for a life of learning, work and service for Christ and his kingdom. The idea of The Arts Hall of Fame was initiated by former President Jules Glanzer, but COVID-19 setbacks continuously postponed the ceremony. Arts Director Gregory Zielke spoke about the reality of the hall of fame during the initial stages of development. “I jumped on the idea right away, and it turns out that this should have been done 25 years ago,” Zielke said. The ceremony was well-received by the public and will continue to honor as few as two new members each year. Eight inductees were honored this year, only one of them living. The other seven members were represented by close family members.
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“The recipients’ families were overwhelmed because it meant so much to them to be able to honor their family members in this way,” Zielke said. Current Tabor students involved in the arts were given the opportunity to serve those who had gone before them by acting as hosts for each inductee’s family. Zielke said student involvement was crucial to the success of the evening, and that more student involvement and performances would be included in future years. “We wanted our students to understand the tremendous legacy of the arts at Tabor, and that means that they need to know the stories of these people.” The inaugural class of 2021 is as follows: Alumni: Carl Gerbrandt, Opera/Voice Former Faculty: A.R. Ebel, Visual Arts; Malinda Nikkel, Theatre; Jack Braun, Theatre; Lonn Richards, Music/Band; Herbert C. Richert, Music/Choral; Paul Wohlgemuth, Music/Choral; and Jonah Kliewer, Music/Choral
**CRITICAL RACE THEORY** by David Wiens
A deafening groan filled Tabor’s auditorium in response to the very utterance of the words “Critical Race Theory” (CRT). On Aug. 24, Tabor decided to host a forum concerning race relations and racism. CRT was brought up only for a mere moment, but the resentment experienced by students was stoked by its utterance. It means a lot of things to different people, but much of the hoopla surrounding it shows a distinct lack of understanding of the subject. In its most basic form, CRT is made up of two central concepts. Firstly, CRT asserts that race is a social construct. This means that racial identity is not bound to particular genes but is instead arbitrarily assigned, like when people consider someone who is half black and half white to be black. The other key concept of CRT, and the one that is important to race relations at Tabor, is defining racism not only as individual bigotry but as an institutional problem. This means that people of color are disadvantaged in the legal systems and experience exclusion from societal participation. I am a Tabor legacy student, as many family members attended Tabor before me. This puts me in a position of privilege, as I already had relationships with the Tabor community, including professors and faculty, and feel quite comfortable around them. I asked 27 students of color if they felt confident that Tabor would handle and manage reported instances of racial discrimination seriously and competently. Not a single student said yes. Tabor College, like all educational institutions, was not always integrated. This is not a condemnation of Tabor College, as it was founded in 1908, but rather an observable fact that can help us move into the future. Acknowledging historical and contemporary inequality may be uncomfortable. However, it is important that Tabor gains an understanding of one another and does not immediately become defensive at the possibility of institutional injustice.
**TABOR’S LIFESTYLE COVENANT** by Tyrel Haynes
You’re entering your freshman year at Tabor College, where you have to sign the famous lifestyle covenant. Before coming to college, you have heard the myths of huge college parties at public colleges. At Tabor College, students have to sign the lifestyle covenant as an agreement of what Tabor believes in. One of the conflicts that students have with the signing of this piece of paper is the feeling of “signing your life away.” I don’t see it in that type of way. After being at Tabor College for three years, I understand why it is in play. It’s unusual to have a college in a small town like Hillsboro, but Tabor College students are entering a well-established and welcoming community. Out of respect for the people in the community, signing and following the covenant is the least we could do. I am fine with the covenant because I see it as a contract. Going into the “real life,” there are going to be things that we are going to have to follow. However, I can also understand why people see it not being helpful because many of the rules still get broken in secret. At every university or college, drinking and usage of drugs are significant problems. It is hard to stop this problem with the covenant, but it could be a step in the right direction to stop this being such a common thing. Whether you agree or disagree with the lifestyle covenant, in the end, it is our duty as Christians to be good neighbors to those around us.
Opinions marked with ** for convenience.
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The Tabor View offers students and faculty a window into the happenings on campus. Our student writers uncover stories behind the scenes, keep people updated, and inform with accuracy and clarity. We strive to present precise, detailed information in our articles. Opinions expressedd in the articles do not reflect the opinion of The Tabor View. Letters to the Editor: The Tabor View invites readers to share their thoughts on issues with our campus community by submitting concise letters to the editor. Anonymous letters and those that are libelous or in poor taste will not be printed. Email your letters to tobypenner@tabor.edu. Would you like to join the Tabor View staff or see your pictures from around campus featured in the Tabor View? Email to tobypenner@tabor.edu. Keep an eye out for our next survey to be featured in the Student View.
Advisor: Aleen Ratzlaff Editor: Toby Penner Graphic Designer: Jessica Klein Writers: Tyrel Haynes, Millie Sechrist, Cody Meyer, Mei Kirchhoff, David Wiens, Destiny Cooper, Ethan Barnes, Jessica Klein, Danielle Allison, Sam Buller, Shea Sutherland and Eric Torrence Cover Photo by John Cramer Other photos by Dillon Callaway, John Cramer and Michael Klaasen