SUMMER 2026 ISSUE 16
Director’s Welcome Greetings alumni. This is my second time as Johnston Director (my last tour of duty was 2010-2015). Working on the Coz this go-around
is so much more special. After almost a quarter of a century of work at Johnston, I now fully understand the power of the larger Johnston community. There are many more alumni who are near and
This Coz McNooz is also fueled by alumni power. Everette Davidove, Visiting Professor and Johnston alum (2015), is my collaborator on this project, serving in the capacity of designer and cowriter. Just like when he was my student co-chair for the 45th Johnston Renewal way back when,
dear to my heart, so many alumni who continue to g ive much to
Everette is as good a Coz McNooz collaborator as
Johnston (time, resources, effort, community spirit, experience,
he is a professor to our current students. Thank
visits, laughter, knowledge, g ifts, love). Indeed, it has been a
you Everette! Both of us hope you enjoy this
veritable Alumnipalooza around Johnston these days. Becca Schuh
edition of the Coz. You can be certain it was made
(2103) stayed with me for a month while she taught a May term
with abiding love for alums and deep pride for the
class funded by the Kathryn Green Fund. This morning I met with another alum (Tessa Van Ry) about an exciting KG-funded class on NAGPRA for May term 2027. As I write, alums of all generations are
Johnston experiment—an experiment that continues to maintain its core values and pedagog ical approaches despite institutional, political, technolog ical, spatial, and educational
soon to be heading abroad for an alumni seminar in Paris (co-
challenges that make these values and approaches
facilitated by Becca Schuh and Professor Julie Townsend). And
difficult to maintain. But Johnston has always
perhaps the most important gathering—Kevin O’Neill’s memorial—
been people-powered, and the people I work with
brought alumni and faculty from many parts of Johnston’s timeline
continue to answer the call of Johnston. They do so
together for a very special day honoring a very special man. Thank
with a sense of purpose, a strong commitment to
you Eli Kramer for the work you and other alumni did to help Kevin’s wife Dorothy create this beautiful event. Though the day-today job of the Johnston Director is necessarily focused on current students, it has been a true pleasure to be pulled back into the extended Johnston family. The hive is strong!
Johnston’s past and future, a willingness to keep innovating, and a don’ t-mess-with-us tenacity that only sometimes gets us in trouble.
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Celebrating the Class of 2026 with Everette Davidove Hi Alums! I wanted to (in)formally re-introduce myself. This is Everette, Johnston’s new Visiting Faculty member! I graduated from Johnston in 2015 with a degree in “Collaborative Organizing with Feminist and Queer Communities,” during which I co-organized the 45th renewal as the “renewal wrangler” alongside Kelly Hankin and the late Morgan Chicarelli (February 2, 1983- October 7, 2024). Since graduating from Johnston, I earned an M.A. in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Oregon State University in 2017 and began teaching for multiple universities as an adjunct in 2018, including at Redlands in CAS, a CSU, a UC, and the University of Pennsylvania. This last year, I completed my PhD from Claremont Graduate University in Cultural Studies with an emphasis in Critical Pedagog y. I am profoundly grateful to be able to formally join the Johnston team and support our students in their endeavors. From impromptu advising sessions in Java, to hosting the Johnston Olympics, to sponsoring student taught courses, and so much more, it is such a gift to be able to give back to this community through my faculty role. For the 2026 Johnston commencement, our graduating class invited me to be their graduation speaker. The speech included a costume change into an oversized pink furry coat, rave sunglasses shaped like flaming hearts, and wisdom that I could share with our graduates as an alum of the Center. In the speech I shared “The 5 Johnston Principles of Life” (trademark pending). Below you will find a condensed version of the speech that I hope calls to your Johnston roots.
Principle 1: Prep less, do more. In Johnston, a place where students make up their own degree titles and have a lot of freedom in their academic educations, this might not seem like the best advice to give. However, from my experience working with Johnston students within and outside of the Center, they are often the most prepared, engaged, and curious students to work with. A part of your educations has not only been learning new ideas, and new skills, but also un-learning. Having a plan or a blueprint, is great as a guide, but like your Sophomore Contracts, the emphases that you all have developed, grew beyond what you originally had planned. So, as you map out your next steps post-graduation, Let your plans serve as a guide rather than a restrictive script.
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Celebrating the Class of 2026 with Everette Davidove Principle 2: Trust the Process When you first came to Johnston, you might have wondered, “How do I succeed in an academic setting without rigid guidelines or an A, B, C, D, F scale?” Your attendance here today is a testament to you not only trusting a process that you were unfamiliar with, but one that you excelled at. Unexpected, and often better outcomes are on the other side of trust. Principle 3: Don’t Stop Questioning One of the many reasons that I love what I do is that I get to continue to learn alongside my students. Some of the most profound questions are ones that many young humans are well versed in, but us adults forget. Asking, why?... How?... What if?... Or What could?... These questions alone can lead us into new trajectories, rather than simply accepting something at face value. Principle 4: Be Weird *queue costume change into pink furry coat and rave flaming heart sunglasses* Let go of what you think other people think. Everyone's too busy thinking about themselves or what’s going on in their life. Don’t let fear or uncertainty convince you not to be fully yourself. Leaning into the goof makes life more memorable and fun. It was Jimmy Johnston who said, “Goof is the glue that holds Johnston and Bekins together.” Principle 4.5 Don’t believe everything that you hear. Example. There are no verifiable quotes from Jimmy Johnston on record in this speech. Principle 5: If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together Johnston is a living learning community. Not only have you all learned academically, but you have also learned how to be in community. You have endured numerous community meeting discussions about how to find commonality amongst difference, how to work alongside one another even when you may not see eye to eye, ways to enhance the spaces of Johnston complex for present and future Johnstonians, and how to solve the age-old co-living problem of “There’s dirty dishes in the sink, please wash your dishes.” After graduating, it can feel like you're headed into the great abyss. And many of you are unsure of what comes next. What an amazing place to be in. There is nothing but possibility at this moment. And when you are unsure of where you're headed, or how to get there, you can trust the skills that you've been cultivating over the last four years. Having the privilege to pursue an individualized education, has equipped you with the skills that you need to advocate for yourself, create new pathways, and how to be in community. So, when you're feeling uncertain, or you're not sure about what comes next, remember that you do have what it takes for what's coming your way, thanks to the solid foundation that you’ve built here. Congratulations to our Johnston Class of 2026!
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Spotlight on Alumni
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Ever Grateful Kelly Hankin Thank you for your donations to the Johnston Center. Whether 10 dollars or 1,000 dollars; whether g ifts for now, or g ifts for later, your donations make a huge difference in students’ educations. This is especially true as the University of Redlands and Johnston g rows our local and commuter populations. The opportunities and resources your donations provide students are tang ible (e.g., books, soft/hardware, art supplies) and lifechang ing (e.g., study abroad). To donate, please go here! Here is a brief snapshot of where your donations went in the 25-26 academic year. Please look at the next few pages of this issue of the Coz for more specific details.
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Ever Grateful
Learning Beyond the Classroom: Aeon Bantu, Elliana Bowers, Sophia Hernandez Panama May 2026
This year, Johnston provided approximately 30
Kala Yee
students (many of whom had never traveled outside
South Korea Spring 2025
the country) with funds to support study abroad travel. With LBC funds, students were able to subsidize flights to Europe, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, purchase their first-ever passports, apply for Visas, and pay for g round transportation, necessary equipment, museum tickets, and hostels. Where did students go this academic year? So many places—from Salzb urg with Professor Fred Rabinowitz and Panama with Professor Dan Klooster to Denmark and South Korea through study abroad vendors.
Sasha Sabin Bali Spring 2026
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Ever Grateful
Director’s Discretionary Fund: Perhaps the most important fund for me, the DDF allows the Director to meet students’ needs in a
Kathryn Green
flexible fashion, being responsive to the collective and individual needs of the community. Through the Discretionary Fund, I am able to support a book and class
Kathryn Green Fund: We are ever g rateful to the late Kathryn Green for the fund she endowed to bring
resource fund, buy pizza and Cucas for community meetings, restock Java, staff alumni travel seminars, subsidize Johnston
alumni back to campus. We had so many
commencement, pay for Johnston shenanigans (e.g., the
lovely visits and alumni interactions this
Johnston Olympics), and generally be responsive to student,
year, which you can read about in the next few pages. Please email kelly_hankin@redlands.edu if you are interested in coming for a visit in the future!
faculty, and staff needs as they arise. The DDF is what makes Johnston students collectively feel loved and supported. And fed.
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Ever Grateful Johnston Student Project Fund: As you are no doubt aware, Johnston students love pursuing independent studies; we always have anywhere from 25 to 40 students each semester engaging in individualized projects. Many of these projects require financial resources to get off the ground (e.g., subscriptions, supplies, memberships, software). With donor support, Johnston is able to provide resources to help students pursue their goals. What kind of projects did students take up this past academic year? Check out the upcoming page on Project Development—the class through which most students produced independent work—to see a sample of the interesting projects students brought to fruition. And keep donating to the Student Project Fund, since its main monetary pipeline was the now-shuttered Vintage Johnston….
Founders Chair in Alternative Education: For many young students, Johnston seems like it breathes on its own. Alternately, many alumni know that Johnston— historically and in the present—is nothing without the people who put the effort into its sustenance, nothing without the faculty and staff who put blood, sweat, and tears into its operations, nothing without the faculty and staff who fight for Johnston each and every single day. It is human labor that keeps the Johnston infrastructure alive and honored, making sure that our hallmarks—evaluative grading, contracted learning, Contract Committees, Grad Reviews, community meeting, Johnston Commencement—continue to be at the Center of the Johnston experience. This is difficult and time-consuming work —work that must be repeatedly explained to an ever-revolving door of staff and administrators; work that often puts us at odds with our fellow colleagues and administrators; work that sometimes puts us at odds with students, who rightly rage against institutional limitations or compromise. In 2026, it would be easy to throw in the towel. But we don’t because we know that we are guardians of something precious. We are the stewards of a concept and practice that long precedes us. But I would be lying if I didn’t note how threadbare the Johnston Operational Team is. The majority of the faculty who welcomed me in 2002 are retired. Only Julie Townsend, Tim Seiber, and myself remain as full-time faculty. The three of us have a great team (Operations Specialist Jeanette Guerra, Registrar Joselyn Rivas, Visiting Faculty Everette Davidove, and the Resident Coordinator) but the reality is that we are a much tinier crew than Johnston has been for a long time. Growing the donations to the Founders Chair in Alternative Education will enable us to hire a full time tenured faculty member, so please continue to support this important fund!
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01 was “Teaching Adulting 1 ce to definitely an experien dents laugh, u st g in h tc a W . er b em rem and have those , es lv se em th e g en ll a ch credibly ‘a-ha!’ moments was in rewarding.”
Ever Grateful
James Johnston Faculty Resource: With such a small faculty crew, hiring adjunct faculty to teach Johnston classes is essential. This year, the James Johnston Faculty Resource funded two g reat classes. Our very own Reg istrar Joselyn Rivas taught Chakras and Self-Care, a course in which she was able to help students navigate daily challenges through such activities as energy healing, meditation, and sound baths. We are so g rateful that Joselyn could take time from her challeng ing Reg istrarial duties to teach this class! In turn, mental health therapist Eric Rivas taught students how to manage the challenges of adulthood through his class Adulting 101, where students learned about taxes, real estate, healthy habits, calendaring, and more.
“One of my greatest joys in teaching the Chakras & Self‑Care seminar was witnessing the students open themselves to energetic work and mindfulness. Each early morning, they arrived willing to breathe deeply, meditate, and weave simple yet transformative practices into their daily lives. Over the semester, I watched their energy soften, expand, and shift in the most beautiful ways. I’m deeply grateful to Johnston for giving me the space to bring this meditation‑based workshop to life!”
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Ever Grateful
Building Johnston Community Endowment: This fund was most recently used to upgrade Holt’s Accessibility. Please see the 2025 Coz McNooz for more information on this great work shepherded by previous Directors Julie Townsend and Tim Seiber.
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Returning to the Mothership While it is true that smartphones and social media keep alumni more connected than ever before, there is nothing like a return to the Mothership. In the academic year of 2025-26, Johnston alums from different generations returned to Johnston HQ for random visits, public lectures, in-class presentations, extended teaching, and commencement celebrations. We were delighted by every visit, whether it was for an hour or one month. Swinging by for informal visits were: Kenza Walthour (2022), Kaylee Weidenfeld (2022), Lily Knott (2022), and Chris Nigro (2022), who collectively have a comical obsession with the city of Redlands; Johnston College graduate Greg Mintz, who visited with his lovely wife Patty and shared a couple of copies of Greg’s delightful book Fairybombing Oakland (2025); Ellen Parkin (2012), who spent time walking around Johnston complex with college bestie Everette Davidove; Zach Adler, on his way to Pappy & Harriets; Julie Gladdees (formerly Henderson) (1992), who stopped by on her way to Palm Springs for a quick look around Bekins; Jessie Kahnweiler (2007) who brought her cutie patootie baby to Bekins on a rainy day in spring; Sam (“Ferg”) Ferguson (2023) and Delia Wahby (2023), who returned to campus and shockingly didn’t wreak havoc; Ian Spencer, who came back for Karen Derris’ retirement party, and Doug Slonkosky (1977) and Ella Budington (2025), who were delighted to get a photo with Johnston’s new buffalo statue!
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Returning to the Mothership In the fall, we invited Bowie Rivera (2022) back as a Kathryn Green Alumni Lecturer. Bowie is a Transgender Care Specialist at the University of California Irvine’s (UCI) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Resource Center. They spoke to students about what it means to be trans in today’s climate, and how they support students in their job. Everyone fell in love with Bowie, whose kindness and compassion made the students feel seen and valued. In teaching roles, alum LMFT Jeremy Arzt (2010) offered a couple of guest appearances in Fred Rabinowitz's Psychology classes, and two alums returned for May term, both supported by the Kathryn Green Fund: frequent returner Jewel Patterson (2016), Director of Organizing & Programs at Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement (COPE), spoke to the students about community in Johnston: Past, Present, and Future, and freelance writer Becca Schuh (2013) taught a month-long class called How to Be a Writer. Becca stayed in Kelly Hankin’s garage, and she invited a few besties back for a visit: Vico Beckley (2013) and Natasha Guisti (2013). Vico Beckley will return in Fall ‘26 or Spring ‘27 for her own Kathryn Green lecture, drawing on her work as a GIS specialist and the Finance Director for the San Francisco Community Land Trust. And artist and musician Jeff Wilson—a regular around these parts—pitched in to take photographs of the murals in Bekins. Commencement always brings back alumni, and we were graced this year with the presence of Ella Budington (2025), Lorraine Hedtke, Lily Tran (2025), Ava Hall (2025), Ruby Kyle (2025), and Commencement MCs Arden Dvorchak, Izzy Jones, and Sadie Forkner (all 2025). Thanks to all alumni for sharing in the festivities with us! Your presence made it much more special! No doubt we missed some folks here who came by campus, but whether we saw you or not, we are truly glad you returned. Though nothing stays the same—even Johnston!—the Mothership will always be here for you. If you are interested in returning to campus as part of our Kathryn Green lecture series or teaching, please reach out to Kelly_hankin@redlands.edu
PAGE 13 In June of 2024, Johnston hosted a week-long alumni seminar on the theme of Love. Local attendees included Nancy Best (‘80), Ricky Burton (‘09), Gerarda Costello (‘04), Andy Irvin, Jewel Patterson (‘16), and professors Nancy Carrick, Daniel Kiefer, Kelly Hankin, Bill McDonald, Tim Seiber, and Julie Townsend. The travelers included Cathleen Crider (‘75), Patty Karlin-Neumann (‘76), Lorraine Hedke, Casey Sutcliffe (‘90), Sarah Sapperstein (‘05), Jordan
Love Seminar 2024
Marshak (‘15), Michael McDunnah (‘91), Nora McLaughlin (‘76), Crystal Marshall (‘17) Victoria Beckley (‘13), Becca Schuh (‘13), Xiadani Jaurez-Diaz (‘23), and Wes (‘91) and Chanda Hagen. Attendees met every day for meals and multiple seminars, facilitated by all. As to be expected, the approach was highly interdisciplinary. We read, watched, and listened widely across eras and disciplines, from Plato’s Symposium, Sappho’s poetry, Buddhist narratives, and Jeanette Winterson’s Written on the Body to theories of embodied and disembodied love, Spike Jones’ 2014 film Her, Olivier Messiaen, “Quartet for the End of Time,” and choreog raphy (Alvin Ailey’s Revelations, Andre Preljocaj, Lar Lebovic). If you haven’ t been to an alumni seminar, consider attending one in the future. Remember how you wanted everyone in class to be as invested as you
😁)
were? That is what a Johnston alumni seminar is like. Everyone is (mostly
prepared and excited to engage. Keep your eyes out for future seminars to come….
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Johnston in Paris Bonjour! Our latest Joh nston alumni travel seminar took place in Paris ! Stay tuned for upc oming alumni travel seminars and the full Paris recap in the Coz’s ne xt issue!
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Living and Learning in 2026
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Johnston Shenanigans As we all know, Johnston is a formative place in which students are exposed to new theoretical concepts, foster their dialog ic problem-solving skills in community meeting, and notably a whole lot of goof. And this year was no exception. In honor of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, we hosted our inaugural “Johnston Olympics.” Our five events included: BAg ility, Johnston Rapids, Spill the Beans, and Blades of Glory. The first event, Johnston B-Ag ility, was a nailbiter! Our students’ mission? To navigate a series of obstacles including bouncing on an inflatable bouncy ball over to the “smear table,” then spread cream cheese with precision on their complementary bagel. Once their bagel was prepared with questionable precision, students ran through dog ag ility poles and hopped through hula hoops, to finally deliver their beautifully prepared bagel to the judges’ table before their rivals. It was a true test of endurance, strategy, and how quickly someone can smear under pressure.
Everette Davidove ‘15
Our second event, inspired by the boat mural in Holt lobby, was Johnston Rapids: Our Boat Racing Championship, a time-honored tradition in Johnston with a twist: LIVE WATER! Students assembled origami boats to race across our inflatable kiddie pool. The catch? They could only use a straw to get their boat from one side of the pool to the other. Needless to say, students got creative with their straws, which left more than one captain washed ashore... Our third and most popular event was the Elite Spill the Beans: Bekins Bean Bag Balcony Toss Invitational. From Bekins Balcony, students were tasked with tossing their bean bags into a chalk drawn b ullseye on the sidewalk of Bekins lawn. Where the difference between victory and defeat came down to one heroic throw and the athlete’s skills to drop it like it’s hot.
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S h e n a n ig a n s Cont.
And of course, the crowd favorite and grand finale: Blades of Glory: Our Grass Skating Short Program. Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Competitors attempted to twizzle, lutz, and interpretive dance across Bekins’ lawn in ways that scientists, coaches, and possibly the laws of physics strongly advised against. Notable performances included a student’s puppet Tyrannosaurus rex who sang “Mah Na Mah Na” by the Muppets, a solo performance to “Love Me Sexy” by Jackie Moon, and a guest performance by a student’s tortoise to the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” theme song. For each event, the top three student competitors earned medals in which they were adorned with their hardware on the three large platform steps in front of Bekins. In addition to the games, students were inspired by Kelly Hankin, Johnston Olympics Director, in her opening address, moved to tears by Anthony “Dion,” who debuted Johnston’s Spring 2026 national anthem “My Heart Will Go On,” and hyped up by the Olympics Master of Ceremonies Everette “Raygun” Davidove. The games would not have been possible without our extraordinary Johnston judges, Kelly Hankin, Jeanette Guerra, Anthony Castellon, Tim Seiber, Julie Townsend, and Joselyn Rivas.
Bonus Goof In honor of a community agreement in his Project Development class, in which students desired to “move more, and more less” Everette hosted “Johnston Zumba!” Members of the Johnston team came dressed in their recreational jazzercize attire, and everyone leaned into their inner salsa diva. —Dr. Zumba (Everette Davidove)
s c i p m y l O Johnston
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Buffy “The Contract Slayer” David Tokar ‘26 It’s been a tough year for Johnston. It feels like the community is growing apart, like the kind of trust and stake that we all have in the institution and each other is starting to fray at the edges. This is exacerbated by external blows: the closure of Bekins, to name a big one. It’s not all bad, though. Some of the issues that have been pushed out of the conversation for too long are being brought into the light, and the community has no lack of leaders who give their energy to support and rekindle the Johnston spirit.
! David t e e M
BUFFALOOOO!!!
And, for what it’s worth, we bought a buffalo. It was there in Redlands Thrift when I went to pick through old cups and dishes in early January, about five feet tall, eight long, anatomically complete, and half-buried behind several tables and bookcases. It had probably decorated someone’s yard for years, the welded sheet metal having significantly rusted, and how it ended up in a thrift store, I couldn’t start to guess. But it was there, for whatever person or community might be willing to buy it. I almost took my name off of the discussions section of the next community meeting. That Tuesday started serious, with real hurt and anger, and it didn’t feel right to bring up something as frivolous as a buffalo sculpture I saw. As soon as I did, though, the mood shifted. There was plenty of bewilderment, of course, but mostly excitement. Clio asked how big it was, Bee asked if it was possible to ride it. I didn’t have solid answers, but found myself swept along in the enthusiasm. Kelly promised to contribute, as long as she got to be the first to ride it. Proposals to put it on the roof were blocked. Finally, consensus was that it ought to sit in the corner of the lobby where a disused ping-pong table had sat for too long. At no point in the discussion did anyone question whether or not to actually buy this statue, it seemed self-evident that we needed it.
Da vid g ra du ate d in 20 26 wi th an em ph as is in “D yn am ic Ec olo gy ”. Be for e he lef t, he tau gh t a co ur se on Jo hn sto n his tor y wi th an ey e tow ar ds th e fu tu re of th e co mm un ity. In his wh ole tim e at Re dla nd s, he liv ed on th e se co nd flo or of Ho lt.
I left Holt lobby in order to put down a deposit before Redlands Thrift closed at 5:00, and by the time I got back, the more serious discussions had wrapped up. Still, the Johnston spirit which had been kindled by this sculpture was still burning strong, and the meeting ended with the old shout of “Buffalo!” for the first time in who-knows-how-many years. Getting the thing back to Complex was its own community building exercise. Thankfully, someone had a truck that might fit it, but getting it into the bed took at least half a dozen volunteers, same for squeezing it into Holt. Throughout the process, everyone involved was buoyed by the sheer joy in pulling off this ‘heist.’ There were cheers, high-fives, and a grin on every face: an inexplicable sense of drama and accomplishment for what was, by all means, a mundane transportation task. I choose to believe it was the Spirit of the Buffalo moving in us that day. Over the semester, the statue has picked up pronouns (she/her), a name (Buffy the Contract Slayer), and, in true Johnston creative spirit, colorful garments. She was hauled onto Bekins porch for the JNST Olympics in March, but mostly has stayed in her corner of Holt lobby, watching over study sessions and Community Meetings. Her presence has been a reminder that Johnstonians still love Johnston. We care about the community and still want to have fun. Maybe we need something to rally around from time to time.
Build Your Class Schedule ‘25-‘26 Edition JNST-00D1 Yoga Faculty: Pat Geary, Professor of Creative Writing Description: Yoga is the linking together of body and mind in order to enhance the spirit. Hatha Yoga, the branch of yoga we will be practicing this semester, focuses on the mind/body/spirit through a series of poses called "asanas." This semester, we will practice basic asanas in addition to breathing techniques, called "pranayama." This is a contemplative rather than a vigorous or athletic practice. Yoga is a science of discipline, not a religion. It is compatible with most religious systems.
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JNST 000E-01: The Works of JR Tolkien Faculty: John Glover, Professor in History
JNST 000I-01: Prison Diaries Faculty: Everette Davidove, Johnston Visiting Faculty Description: The English philosopher Francis Bacon wrote in Meditationes Sacrae (1597), “Ipsa scientia potestas est,” commonly translated to “knowledge is power.” Activistthinkers like Antonio Gramsci, Angela Davis, Assata Shakur, and Tourmaline prove that not only is knowledge power, but knowledge can challenge existing structures of power. This course will be centered on studying texts by intellectual rebels. Through intersectional frameworks of engagement, this class will question what connections might exist between the carceral state and social control. By turning to, and learning from, activistthinkers, possibilities of liberatory praxis will emerge.
Description: Few works of modern literature have garnered such universal popular acceptance as the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. In the past two decades, his books have been dramatized, for better or worse, on the big screen and even in video games. This course seeks to probe the major works of Tolkien from a historical perspective. This kind of approach takes two paths. I will challenge you to consider Tolkien to be a “modernist” author, rather than just a fantasy writer, and as such, his fiction largely reflected his own experiences and the world in which he lived. In class, we can explore his personal experiences in the forms of his biography and letters, and his academic/professional career as a noted philologist. Equally, we can examine the entire scope of his work as a kind of “history” unto itself complete with cycles and an overarching teleology. The author, in fact, claimed that his fictional writings were not so much a work of literature as they were an invented history for the languages that he developed in his spare Time. A careful reading of the Prologue and appendices of The Lord of the Rings reveals that Tolkien positioned himself as a simple translator of a secondary historical source that was itself supported by a range of oral and written primary sources. This notion of an “invented history” (in Tolkien’s case an alternate history of England) may not be as far-fetched as it may seem when compared to our own uses for “real” history. Themes: Historical perception and interpretation, Social and political evolution, War, Music, song, and oral tradition, Religion, Human nature as reflected in Tolkien’s races, Gender, Tolkien’s biography and letters, Development of his work from The Silmarillion to The Lord of the Rings. His influences: languages, Icelandic Eddas, Anglo-Saxon epic (Beowulf), the Finnish Kalevala, Etc.
Build Your Class Schedule ‘25-‘26 Edition
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JNST-00H2 Modern Dance: History & Theory Faculty: Julie Townsend JNST-00F2 Exploring Masculinities Student Taught Course: Andries Castellano | Faculty Sponsor: Fred Rabinowitz Description: In Topics on Masculinities, co-taught by Dr. Fred Rabinowitz and Andries Castellano, seminar-based discussions will focus on various types of masculinities, their history, and the forms that they take in our culture. Hegemonic masculinities, the mythopoetic men's movement, Andrew Tate, and the manosphere are a few of the many topics we will cover in this course. This Johnston seminar will incorporate both in-depth discussions of reading material and sharing of personal experiences with masculinities. Selfreflection will be encouraged through an autobiographical assignment as well as experiential activities led by Dr. Rabinowitz. Other possible assignments include research papers, art projects, and even organizing a men's conference. By the end of the course, students will be able to understand and discuss masculinities from a complex model rather than a stereotypical, simplistic model. This seminar is a space for all gender identities who want to learn more about masculinities in their life and their role in a highly masculine society. By instructor permission.
Description: Modern dance is a form with many stories. It is arguably a uniquely American form of dance, yet it emerges out of the music halls of Europe; its practitioners railed against the structures of ballet, yet multiple rigid techniques emerge out of the work of modern dance auteurs. In this class, we'll encounter choreography and writing from the pioneers of modern dance. And, we'll discover some of the ways that scholars of dance have situated the work in aesthetic, social, and political contexts. This is primarily an analytical class, but we will incorporate some movement practice. It is open to anyone, no experience with dance is required.
JNST-00N2 Mathemathics and Music Faculty: Steve Morics, Professor of Math & Computer Science Education Description: "Music is the pleasure the human soul experiences from counting without being aware that it is counting" -Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, co-inventor of Calculus. The natural affinity music and mathematics have for each other offers intriguing opportunities to explore some mathematical concepts in a, perhaps, less intimidating setting. From tuning a piano to sound good in all keys, to using mathematical tools to create compositions, mathematics and music have a long history together. This course is designed to give Johnston students a quantitative experience by introducing mathematical topics in the context of musical concepts. We will motivate some familiar (and some unfamiliar) mathematics by exploring some questions from music or from some compositions (for example, we'll let Mozart teach us some probability), and we can designate our musical time to work on things as basic as learning to read music, or as advanced as creating our own compositions, based on how much experience the class will have had with music. No experience with music, or with mathematics beyond what you needed to get into college will be assumed. This will be a math class first, but we'll include a healthy dose of music to go with it.
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Class Spotlight Global Citizenship In the Fall of 2025, Asian Studies Professor Masako Nunn taught a Johnston class called Global Citizenship. This class explored the concept of value creation through the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, with an emphasis on Nichiren Buddhism. Together, students examined how living a life of value creation contributes to the Vaishali Halbe ‘26 (Right) Jacob West ‘29 (Left)
advancement of global citizenship. Integrating philosophy, religion, education, and Asian studies, the course introduced students to the educational perspectives and practices of Soka (value-creating) educators—Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, Josei Toda, and Daisaku Ikeda. As part of the class’ commitment to fostering global peace, students participated in a special evening around the “No More Hiroshima” Project, which advocates for nuclear disarmament and a more peaceful world. This event included live music, lectures, video, and representatives from the new Redlands Japanese Cultural Center. Johnston students were on full display at this event, whether as theater directors for a play about the atrocities of Hiroshima (Lara Baden ‘27) or debating the pros and cons of nuclear power (freshman Jacob West ‘29 and senior Vaishali Halbe ‘26 on the con side; freshman Ben Pidgeon ‘29 on the pro side; sorry Ben!) Thank you, Professor Nunn, for a wonderful and well attended town and gown event!
Benjamin Pidgeon ‘29
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Project Development Projects Supported by the Student Project Fund This past term, Kaori created an “epic fantasy political animated series” of 25 episodes. -Kaori Williams ‘29
ster, In Spring Seme er A Callie pursued h Mortgage Loan ) Originator (MLO license. -Callan Dixon ‘26
This semester Kate developed brand partnerships with major companies like Hollister, Mugler, AppleDoll, and Merit to develop User Generated Content (UGC) on social media platforms. - Kate Woodhall ‘28
In the Spring of 2026, Noah pursued a search and rescue technician II (SARTECH II) training course to develop “practical outdoor leadership and emergency response skills that align with his long-term goal of working in the outdoors and in search and rescue settings.”-Noah Wagner ‘28
Annabelle revitalized Holt’s entrance way bringing together community, sharing love for Bekins with a new mural, and groovy vibes. -Annabelle Frank ‘27
ts in nteres i r e h ill nd To fulf ttery a o p h t bo created i r A , y nit s commu project y r e t t le po the multip io. “At d u t s l o ca at a lo I met s t c e j o r P le who Pottery p o e p l loca ills many ore sk m e m taught ics and m a r e c about all, the r e v O . s glazing nce wa e i r e p a ex -Arian .” l a n e phenom ez ‘26 Vazqu
All of the above projects were made possible thanks to alumni donations to Johnston’s Student Project Fund. Thank you!!!
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Saying Goodbye
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Retiring Faculty
The impact of your teaching will forever be carried by the students who had the
Jim Bentley, Math privilege to study Nancy Carrick, English with you and the Karen Derris, Religious Studies colleagues with whom you worked alongside. Fran Grace, Religious Studies Larry Gross, Race & Ethnic Studies Kathy Hickey, Music Xinyan Jiang, Philosophy Dan Klooster, Environmental Studies Penny McElroy, Media & Communications (formerly Art) Fred Rabinowitz, Psychology Jill Robinson, Business Art Svenson, Political Science Melissa Tosh, Music
Dr. Karen Derris, Religious Studies The following speech was delivered by Ashley Starr-Morris, PhD Candidate, at Karen’s Retirement Celebration:
I tell my students that Redlands changed my life.
Your brilliance, your mentorship, are key reasons why I learned to love religious studies so much, and are a huge factor in why I chose to go back to grad school and get my PhD in Religious Studies.
Ways it changed my life: - learned my love of Religious Studies here - met some of my best friends to this day here - met my spouse here, had my first job here - and with the support of Karen, I walked across that stage in 2012--in front of my mother, who was forbidden by her parents to go to college-- And, thanks in part to Lillian, I am now teaching religion in the very rooms you as the first woman on either side of my family to graduate from taught in, and it is one of the biggest college. honors of my life to walk in your footsteps. But if I'm being honest, it's the people at Redlands who changed my life. And when I think of those people, Karen rises to the top almost They say you stand on the shoulders of immediately. giants, and that is unequivocally true, Ways she impacted me: I met Karen in World Religions in Fall of 2010 but what Karen showed me is that the greatest teachers don’t just lift you up; (15 years ago!), and then she asked me to join the India trip... they take up residence in your heart, and - I had no idea how I was going to afford this amazing their wisdom keeps echoing there long opportunity, and she found me funding after the classroom is gone. - She led a group of 16 college-age students, and let me tell you, we didn't make it easy on her. Brian left his passport and money in a cab, and we all watched it drive away. It became clear that she was going to And I am just one example of the legacy need a petty cash envelope at all times to help pay for or bribe our way you have crafted during your career. The truth is, your impact cannot be out of these messes, and we aptly named it "the Brian fund" lol. measured in books or trips or even in degrees earned. It lives in the countless [Showed the material artifacts of the trip and the book from students who carry your wisdom with graduation] them, and in the way we now try to live & teach with the same care and While these objects show the material impact of your tenure at brilliance you gave us. Redlands, the immaterial legacy is so much greater. Ashley Starr-Morris is a PhD candidate in Women’s & Gender Studies in Religion at Claremont Graduate University whose research explores how gender, race, sexuality, and religious disaffiliation shape identity and belonging. Her work centers the voices of women, LGBTQ+ folks, BIPOC, and marginalized communities reclaiming agency, identity, and belonging. She aims to advance feminist scholarship, equity, public understanding, and liberatory education.
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Kelly Hankin!
Dr. Fredric Rabinowitz, Psychology
The following speech was delivered by Dr. Kelly Hankin at the 2026 Johnston Center for Integrative Studies Commencement:
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And we are also losing a faculty member whose door is always open to students, a faculty member always ready to take on an independent study, a
faculty member always ready to encourage student interests in his quintessentially laid-back way.
Dr. Fred Rabinowitz is retiring from the University at the end of this academic year—after 42 years of teaching Psychology courses at Redlands. 42 years! Fred was honored for his numerous and excellent contributions to the larger University at a retirement event this week, and it was clear that his retirement leaves a huge gap at the University. Here, though, I want to celebrate Fred’s commitment and contributions to the Johnston Center, where he has been a steady fixture in Bekins since 1995. First, let me acknowledge that we in Johnston are truly happy for Fred. Retirement from full-time teaching, advising, and University service work will liberate Fred to do the other things he loves—playing poker! Golf! Seeing Grateful Dead cover bands! He will also get to spend more time with his lovely wife Janet and his two adult children, their partners, and his grandchild. But Fred will also be able to dedicate more time to his work as a psychologist in his downtown Redlands office where, among other things, he specializes in counseling men and running men’s therapy groups. This is a gift to his community and clients, for Fred is a renowned specialist in men’s mental health, long before, I should note, it was fashionable or newsworthy. Fred has written 5 books on men’s mental health.
It is this laid-back persona that we in Johnston will miss the most. Sharing office space with students is not everyone’s cup of tea—Johnston is loud, messy, chaotic, and unpredictable. But Fred—super chill dude that he is—is most relaxed in this informal space, most relaxed in our very UN-ivory tower conditions. When I asked him about what he likes best about having his office in the dorms, he told me that he enjoys the “interpersonally open and warm” environment, where “there is none of the pretentiousness or power hierarchy” that you might get in traditional academic spaces. He shared that he will “miss the curiosity, intensity, and intimacy of the Johnston students and faculty.” None of us, including Fred, knew that this year would be his last. The decision was late-breaking and a hard one for him to make. So, it is fitting that as Fred departs Redlands, he leaves Johnston having combined so many of the things he loves into his last year. In May, Fred will travel with students to his beloved Salzburg, teaching them interpersonal psychology in a European context. Fred also co-taught a course called Masculinities this spring with graduating senior Andries Castellano. Whereas co-teaching with a student is a practice that others might see as risky or simply too much work, Fred has long
Man Alive: A Primer of Men's Issues (1994) Men and Depression: Clinical and Empirical Perspectives (2000) Deepening Psychotherapy with Men (2002) Breaking Barriers in Counseling Men (2014) Deepening Group Psychotherapy with Men (2019). This is on top of numerous journal articles, conference presentations, podcast interviews, and professional accolades.
engaged in this practice, relishing every opportunity he can to mentor and co-learn alongside younger aspiring psychologists. And the benefits to students are enormous. As Andries Castellano (‘26) shared with me, “Fred has been an extremely understanding, supportive mentor for my time as an undergrad…helping me to realize what I wanted to do and then put[ting] me in the position to pursue
But, as happy as we are for Fred to move on to the next stage of his life, we in Johnston are also gutted. Certainly, we are losing some of the best classes in Johnston’s curriculum, from Psychology of Interpersonal Relationships, Existential Psychology, and Art Therapy to Psychology of Good and Evil, Psychology of Consciousness, and Poker and the Meaning of Life.
that dream.” Fred has long been helping students pursue their dreams, and now it is time for him to pursue more of his own. Congratulations Fred. After 42 years, your Johnston contract is now finally complete.
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Dr. Penny McElroy, Media & Communications The following speech was delivered by Dr. Pat Wasielewski , Professor Emeritus of Sociology & Anthropology, at Penny’s Retirement Celebration: I’m happy to be able to congratulate my friend and colleague Penny on her retirement after 40 years of participation and service to the University of Redlands. Her accomplishments are many and I can only mention them briefly today. But the important thing to understand is how much Penny has contributed to every aspect of our University life. I’ll begin with her professional participation because during these 40 years, she has kept up a lively and robust life as a practicing artist. She has shown her work in 175 exhibits, 38 of which were juried and 17 of them solo shows. For those of you who aren’t artists, that translates into a lot of publications, many single authored and in top peer-reviewed journals. Penny’s ability to blend her own artistic vision with excellent teaching is her hallmark. When she arrived as the first woman to be hired full time in art, she set about building the emphasis in graphic design and continued to strengthen and broaden these offerings in her decades in the department. She was a strong and important contributor to the Johnston Center and taught a variety of interdisciplinary course I’m happy to say many with me as co-teacher, as when we traveled with students to Mexico twice. She’s brought her integrative style in to her more recent position in Media and Communications. She is a patient and exacting instructor, and I can say this because I have taken several of her classes, and she achieved the task of teaching me to draw even after the nuns had convinced me it was impossible. Her teaching expertise spreads far beyond our context. For many years she was a Chief faculty consultant for the Advanced Placement Program for the Educational Testing Service in studio art, setting the standards for excellent work at the University level. The leadership Penny has shown in her administrative contributions to the University is impressive. She has been the Chair of the Art Department over the decades and served on almost every standing and most ad hoc committees in the faculty governance system. She is diplomatic beyond my wildest imagination and her persistence is often like that pumice stone that slowly wears away the rough edges of conflict. Most of all I am happy to celebrate Penny today because she has been my closest friend-really my sister. It is a rare gift to find someone in the workplace that makes your life better and shares all your memories. In fact, who has been the reason for some of the best ones. Congratulations and welcome to the next phase of life!
Since her retirement in 2020, Pat continues to travel regularly in the Americas—most recently to Costa Rica, where she was lucky enough to see a quetzal in the wild. She became a Master Gardener and seasonally grows food in her greenhouse and orchard. She has turned her creative and intellectual energy to writing fiction, where she continues to explore themes of social identity and conflict.
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In Memoriam The following section honors members of the Johnston community who have passed away since our last renewal. Together, we can find community through our memories of and continued love for those who passed.
If you would like to honor a member of the Johnston community who has recently passed, please email:
CozMcNooz@uredlands. onmicrosoft.com
Honoring Johnston Founders
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Kevin O’Neill September 22nd, 1941-December 14th, 2025
The following speech was delivered by Dr. Tim Seiber, Johnston Professor and Former Director, at Kevin’s Memorial: When I first met Kevin O’Neill, Y2K was barely in the rearview mirror. That year’s flavor of global civilizational meltdown had been predicted and then thwarted, but for a while, it looked like we were all going down. Bonkers as it sounds, the whole thing was about how many digits our computers reserved for recording years. Kevin would have been aware of this, as his philosophy at that time had turned to thinking about how rituals of death were being transformed by technology, first through photographs and then later through computers. Published in 2016, his final book, Internet Afterlife, was filled with a hundred examples of the ways the internet was becoming a space for virtual headstones, collective remembrance, Facebook memorial pages, and then the ur-promise of today’s data-industrial complex: consciousness, uploaded to the cloud. Eternal, virtual, electric. If he were writing today, no doubt Kevin would approach the use of artificial intelligence to construct virtual avatars of the dead with curiosity and provocation, rather than dismissiveness and judgment.
As most of you are no doubt aware, Kevin was a founder of the place I work, then called Johnston College and now called the Johnston Center for Integrative Studies. He taught thousands of students. He was an aggressively smart, provocative teacher-philosopher who was also a bit zany. My current office still has the placard “Philosophy” over it, from Kevin’s time as the occupant. It used to have a taxidermized owl hanging from the ceiling, but we’ve had that removed.
Honoring Johnston Founders
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Kevin O’Neill September 22nd, 1941-December 14th, 2025
I went to high school in a very, very sub-standard education system in southern Idaho. I had never met a philosopher. Never met someone with a PhD from Yale. Never encountered a Kevin. He could have used his status to impress students like me and the many of you here today who were his students, to cast a long shadow within which we were meant to sit in awe of his knowledge, our dimness slowly replaced with his enlightenment. That would have been the Appollonian strategy, to impose order on our minds through discipline. In Greek philosophy, which Kevin taught right up until he retired at 82 years old in 2024, disciplined and ordered Apollo is contrasted to his brother, Dionysus, who is wild and chaotic and intoxicating. In my Fall 2000 Intro to Philosophy course with Kevin, where I made a final project so utterly bone brained that I will never tell what it was, the first question he asked us was: “Why are you sitting like that? Why are your legs crossed? Why are you holding your pencil that way? Why are you here the way you are?” I was ready for Descartes’s Evil Genius, but what I got was Kevin’s Provocative Jester. He was trying to un-discipline us, to get us to think with our whole being, to learn what the Greeks knew: Appollo and Dionysus aren’t enemies: they come as a package. This in a nutshell is the Johnston Center: ordered chaos, thinking bodies, philosophy at parties. It was in part because of his provocations that I spent a year in London studying phenomenology and metaphysics. It was my first time ever leaving the country. It was nerveracking and not a little bit risky. For sure, there are many people here today who took risks because something about Kevin stirred us or connected with us and enabled Dionysus to take command.
It was nineteen years after first meeting with Kevin that I became the Director of the Johnston Center; my faculty colleagues Kelly Hankin, Julie Townsend, and Everette Davidove, are all here today. One of the great privileges of being part of a place that both honors and challenges traditions of thought and behavior is that we get to highlight and share those traditions that are most meaningful to us as teachers, scholars, and community members. So it was a point of pride for me when I got to tell my advisees for many years, some of whom have birthdays that start with a 2-0, that yes, even if they don’t have an abiding interest in philosophy, they should still take Kevin’s intro class, or Greek Philosophy. And to warn them: the questions about how you hold your pencil aren’t tricks, but they aren’t to be dismissed either. They are about connecting your SELF to your LEARNING. We can’t send our students to Kevin any longer, but today we can keep his lessons very much alive. The gifts he gave so many of us, we continue to share with the next generation of students at the place Kevin helped found in 1969. To view Kevin’s Memorial, follow this link: https://tinyurl.com/tsae9wr5 To visit Kevin’s “Digital Afterlife” please visit: https://tinyurl.com/y4szdtb7
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Bill Thomas June 5, 1931 - December 24, 2025
Bill was a former Chancellor of Johnston College. He is remembered as a "rascal with a cause," he was selfless and tireless in helping others.
“He was a loyal and enthusiastic supporter of Johnston for years after he left...” Bill McDonald
Honoring Johnston Founders
Pres McCoy February 24, 1926 - March 9, 2024
I found Pres to be generous and inspiring to my young self in 1970. What he helped create certainly changed the direction of my life, and I am thankful.” Darrel Rhea ‘74
“He was a tenacious and persuasive visionary.” Sheila Lee Prader ‘75
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Honoring Johnston Founders
John Watt S ept emb er 7, 1934 – Novemb er 22, 2025
“I have nothing but the fondest of memories of John, one of my classical music allies at Johnston: everything from a recital we gave together back in 1971, to running into him as we crossed Mass Ave. in opposite directions in Cambridge in the summer of '72—which led to an evening of playing music together again and to driving cross-country that summer from Vermont to Redlands with John, Anne, and their girls. The best memories of a kind, funny, fascinating friend.” Mark Carlson ‘74x
“In 1970 I was a freshman completely unprepared for college. My tutorial with John was my first class at JC. He was so generous, patient, and nurturing. He helped me overcome my overwhelm and kept me from dropping out. Rather than being dismissive of me he provided a pivotal moment in my transition to adulthood. John was both demanding and inspiring, and gave me the confidence to take the next steps in my education. He truly changed the trajectory of my life at a time when I was so vulnerable. That is the essence of what a great teacher does. He opened a world to me, gave me a shove into it, a pat on the back and a warm smile. He inspired me to learn, a gift I shall forever be indebted to him for.” Darrel Rhea ‘74
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Honoring Faculty
Emily Culpepper 1947-2026
Retiring in 2011, Emily Culpepper, Professor Emerita of Women and Gender Studies and Religious Studies, joined the Redlands faculty in 1989, and was central to the creation of the Women’s Studies program (now Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies). She was a vibrant, compassionate, and award-winning teacher (Morlan Award for Distinguished Scholarship from the University’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter in 1997–98 and the Outstanding Teaching Award in 1999). In a time when Women’s Studies programs around the country are under assault, we are forever grateful to Emily for helping to create the robust Women’s Studies program that many Johnston students benefitted and continue to benefit from. Her legacy lives on at Redlands.
Layne Drebin Murphy 1957-2024
Honoring Johnston Alums
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Chris Pepino January 24, 1978- August 7, 2025
“Pebyno, you were a fucking icon.” Kaydi McQuade ‘98
“Layne was a unique and wonderful person.” Kim Lawton “Layne and I were sisters in crime at JC. 1976 we launched the CozMcMuffin Coffeehouse” Barbara Effros ‘79 “I will love and miss Layne forever.” Kris ‘76
“In loving memory of our dear friend, Chris Pepino — owner of Caprice Cafe, a fellow Johnston Center alum, and one of the most passionate, energetic presences in downtown Redlands. Chris was a talented artist and gifted musician, whose creativity and spirit were equally rivaled by his remarkable tenure as a beloved restaurant owner. He will be greatly missed by so many of us.” Denise Davis ‘06
“Such a kind and gentle man” Lorraine Hedtke
John Grant John Grant21, 2024 May 12, 1960-November
Honoring Johnston Alums
“Johnston Alum '82 - Friend - Moderator - Collegial Humorist - Much More.” Shawn Brandon ‘93 “...it can't be helped, that feeling of a smile coming from just around the corner - courtesy of John ‘You’re never fully dressed without a SMILE ‘.” Shawn Brandon ‘93 “A great person, a true friend, a unique spirit, and a real Johnstonian, to the core of his most excellent being.” John Louis Lassen Perry “John's main purpose in life was to make people laugh. And that he did.” Lauren Helfand ‘78-‘80
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Dr. Morgan Chicarelli February 2, 1983- October 7, 2024
“She was fierce and sweet, smart and practical, organized and flexible – and also, really fun. As one of the co-chairs of the 45th Renewal, Morgan dove into the immense work with tenacity and skill. All of us who were able to enjoy the 45th benefited from her dedication to this community, and she continued to be engaged with Johnston in the decade after.” Tim Seiber ‘04
“She was such a ball of light. I just always remember her mid-laugh. Sending love to all those close to her. Xo" Jessie Kahnweiler ‘07
Neal Bader May 7, 1954-February 22nd, 2024
Honoring Johnston Alums
“I well remember his many exploits on the U of R soccer team.” Arthur McKenny ‘73 “The world was a better place with Neal in it. Happy Trails Neal” Davis Masten ‘73 “such a spirit!” Robert Peck “Here's a photo of the punk band Enemies Within. We played in clubs around Hollywood c. 1980 when punk music was so big. L to R: Jon Bloom, John Ball, Keli Sills [my name then], Steve Aaron (only non-Johnstonian), and Neal Bader... one of my dearest friends...” Kelly Bryson (Keli Sills) ‘80
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Richard “Buster” L. Highman March 11, 1952- May 24, 2023
“He was a great guy and a real character at Johnston... Buster spent many hours planning, designing and erecting a geodesic dome on thenunused land by West hall...” Sheila Lee Prader ‘75 “Buster was one of the first people I met at Johnston.” Kim Lawton
Anthony Castellon: Moving Forward While Looking Back Hieeeeeee Johnston Alums! I come to you today with some news and reflections. For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Anthony Castellon, a Johnston grad (2021) with an emphasis in “Unlocking Potential within College Students”. I had the honor of serving as Johnston’s Resident Coordinator for the last four and a half years. To math it out for you, I started nearly immediately after graduating from Johnston and have been here since. During my time, I also got to put in some extra work to graduate this upcoming August with my Master’s in Higher Education & Student Affairs! An exciting feat for a first-gen student like myself! While it has been an incredible journey to be so interwoven to Johnston for almost a decade, I have decided to step down from this role for this upcoming year. My journey throughout Johnston has been memorable. As a first-gen, gay, Latino from SoCal, getting to dive into a community of diverse people was the most exciting thing in my mind! The possibility of meeting new people; making moments with my peers/friends/family; taking on challenges I’d never thought to expect…the possibilities were endless! My friend and fellow alum Xiadani, told me a story once, one that I have zero recollection of from when I was a first-year. I looked at Adam Ghovayzi, then the Resident Director, and said with the confidence any crazy 18-year-old might have and said, “Someday, I’m gonna have your job.” I may have manifested a bit too close to the sun. While I had a glimpse of what I was getting myself into, I surely was not prepared for the trials and tribulations I would face in this work. It is difficult to care for this community, its buildings, and its people. It’s not a challenge to love it by any means, but to meet its needs and wants while also caring for yourself? That is where the challenge lies. But I persevered, because the love it poured into me needed to be poured back into it. And I’m honored to have been able to do so in my time here. After all, as Lizzy McAlpine sings “[It’s] Lovely to sit between comfort and chaos…”
I’ve said ‘goodbye’ and ‘good luck’ to a number of students at this point. I get the same question, in a different voice, nearly every year: “Does it get easier to do grad review season?” My immediate response is, “No. I cry like this every year without fail. I’m emotional like that.” The truth is that preparing for a goodbye, even when you know it’s going to happen, is painful. It’s not just separating yourself from the person or thing, but the shared memories, joys, experiences, and love you have with one another. My bond with each person that came into my Johnston life was unique and special, because we are all small capsules to hold pieces of each other together. When I had to separate myself from Johnston due to the COVID pandemic, I was devastated! I wasn’t ready to leave just yet, I had so much more to accomplish. Fate brought Johnston and I back together to give me that chance to do more than I set out to do. I got to grow my Johnston family garden to span acres instead of yards, and truly make a difference in people’s lives. Nine years of fun with Johnston still doesn’t feel like enough. But when you love something, does it ever feel like enough? I close out with one more message: thank you. You took a chance on a kid with wide eyes and ambition to bear this great responsibility, and I can’t express that gratitude enough. Thank you to everyone who believed in me every step of the way. Through your support and belief in me and my abilities, I got to help Johnston in the way it helped me. Getting to be a part of this weird and special place, fostering community in times of hardship, and gracing one another with love and joy…these feelings and memories are ones that will never fade. I know that wherever I end up next will not be the same as Johnston. Nothing could ever match its energy. But the lessons I learned are forever part of who I am, and they will follow me always. Thank you Johnston. This isn’t goodbye, but “See ya later.” #Renewal60 With all my love, Anthony Castellon
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Bye Bye Bekins
Meet Tortellini!
Bye Bye Bekins
Kelly Hankin
Meet Kala! JNST ‘26
Meet L ara! JNST ‘27
Those of you on Facebook already know this, but here is the sad news again, with a little more detail: Bekins is shutting down. At over 100-years-old and the first dorm on campus, Bekins is in desperate need of maintenance; its bones are crumbling, its pipes are bursting, its electrics are going haywire, its safety is dubious. For those working and living in the building, it has been a wild ride these last few years. We had ceilings collapse, paint chips falling on students in their beds, offices and student rooms flooded, leaking heaters, roof damage, roaches and rodents, and electrical issues regularly causing shrieking fire and carbon monoxide alarms. Students were rightly mad and protested their living conditions. The University recognized the poor state of Bekins and did the only thing that could be done in the moment: shut it down. How long is Bekins going offline? I honestly don't know. The first step will be an assessment of the building by an external structural engineer, who will provide the University with an outline of the work needed to make Bekins habitable. This means being earthquake secure, ADA compliant, air conditioned, and outfitted with new plumbing and electrics. This is a massive to-do list for an equally massive building. If I were to hazard a guess, Bekins won’t be up and running for a good long time.
Meet Raine! JNST ‘26
PAGE 40 “During my May term, I was one of a few people to help with the physical transition of Bekins to Holt. From rearranging the nooks to helping move and loosely organizing the books of complex. And so many books there were… like, it was estimated that there must have been thousands of thousands of books that accumulated over 40+ years that a few friends and I went through. It took a long time and several days worth of effort from everyone who helped, estimated over 60 hours of my own time dedicated solely to moving and loosely organizing the books alone, but in the end, every single book that was on complex got moved to where they needed to be! It was stressful and hard no doubt, but there were definitely fun moments that I know I’ll always look back upon fondly." -Kala Yee ‘26
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Kala Yee ‘26
Bye Bye Bekins How are we all feeling? We are sad and nostalgic. For protesting students, this was not exactly the outcome they expected, and many are angry and frustrated. But we are putting aside our grief and frustration for the greater good: figuring out a way to move forward so that Johnston’s “Centerness” will hold. In May, those of us who were here—faculty, staff, and an incredibly stalwart group of students—worked hard to move precious items (e.g., books, artwork, supplies) over to Holt, where Johnston students will live (the current numbers and growing number of commuters means that all Johnston students can live in this dorm). The labor that students put into this effort was heroic, and I especially want to thank the seniors amongst our group who showed up and worked hard to make sure that Holt will have many of the amenities of Bekins. Their care for the Center trumped their emotions for how we got here, and I am incredibly grateful for these students, whose dedication is now forever etched in my heart. Though the spaces will be different, we will continue to have a meditation room, a jam room, a classroom, a screening space, a commuter lounge, and the social space of Java. And faculty are preparing our move to the new Johnston Center outpost—the old Ann Peppers gallery building! Fortunately, this building is right across the street from Larsen and provides a funky and unique space for Johnston to land (albeit one that is also old and structurally challenged in its own way). Importantly, the accessible space will have a big community room with couches and tables in which students can hang out and study, and lots of outdoor spaces for student (and alumni) showcases and events. We are excited for how this space will reimagine Johnston. Stay tuned and also come back for the 60th Renewal to find out!
Kala Yee ‘26 INTRODUCING...
THE BEKINS PROJECT! Because we will miss Bekins something fierce, our goal is to find ways to honor her at the 60th Renewal. To that end, this is the first announcement about the next Johnston multimedia/book project, edited by me and Visiting Professor and alumnus Everette Davidove. This yet-tobe-titled project will honor the life we all forged and shared in Bekins’ nooks and crannies over the last 46 years. This project does not yet have a shape, b ut it will consist of contrib utions from all of Everette Davidove and I are putting out an open call for the following, all of which can be from the present perspective or archival:
YOU!
Writings about B ekins Poetry about Bek ins Collages/Zine pa ges about Bekins Photographs of a nd in Bekins Song lyrics/mus ic scores about Bekins Short stories abo ut Bekins Bekins porch pla ylists Love notes to Bek ins Buffalo Food Coll ective Recipes Journal entries f rom your time in Bekins Paintings/drawin gs/sketches of Bekins Scannable artifa cts (e.g. old projects, textiles , notebooks, sculptures, Java coupons, beloved furnitur e/items etc.) Dorm items
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Roof graffiti Art & Murals Films set in Bekin s Events regularly set in Bekins Holt versus Bekin s—thoughts, philosophies, rat ionales Jimmie Room sto ries Anatomies Spatial analysis Descriptions of r ooms and the purpose they ser ved/meaning they held Memories and dr eams of Bekins New/recent crea tions remembering Be kins Bekins haters! Special places: V agina Alley and the Void Faculty offices Grad Review mem ories
To submit, please complete this form https://forms.gle/NGe1pPRSpsXHgMnm7 Any questions? Email us at: ilovebekins@uredlands.onmicrosoft.com
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Lastly, Everette and I would like to leave you with a couple of
“Dance Yrself Clean for Bekins Hall”
teasers from two lovely wordsmiths and an especially profound
Sadie Forkner ‘25
mural at this juncture:
on the porch of the old women’s dorm we play Dance Yrself Clean
Please check out the amazing Johnston alum Izzy Jones (2025) sing ing their trib ute to Bekins at the 2026 Commencement:
And please enjoy Sadie Forkner’s (2025) ode to Bekins….
under cellophane, satin red glow. here are mountains & city burning out the stars & concrete walls, stairs crumbling beneath our feet. someone says sense of place, someone says turn it down, James Murphy sings break me into bigger pieces so some of me is home with you & yes some of me is always home with you, key pushing pins of a lock, present & always new: I play cards on the porch, kiss my friends downstairs, watch tile crack, grass grow up through pipes, green on a day that wants me dead. o, here are so few rooms where we didn’t dance. how we lived here & how we live: windows open to heat, smoke, rain, music downstairs, buzzing in the concrete floors.
Direct Link to Izzy’s Performance https://youtu.be/mGwdXrjH1bg?si=uIvVgltl8BYjkZIN
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0: RENEWAL 6 , 2029 8 1 6 1 y r a u Febr
WE WANT YOU
FOR JNST
Who better to identify potential Johnston students than alumni? We want to find more students who seek an individualized and integrated college experience, who value community and collaboration as well as academics, and who are passionate about their interests. In short, people like YOU. If you know of any high school students who might be interested in a Johnston-style education, please encourage them to visit Johnston, or contact Director Kelly Hankin at kelly_hankin@redlands.edu
Thank you for your continued donations to the Johnston Center. Whether 10 dollars or 1,000 dollars; whether gifts for now, or gifts for later, your donations make a huge difference to students and the Center. If you can, please continue to donate! Shortened URL to Johnston’s Donation Website: https://tinyurl.com/3xrcf4sm