The policy has to do with how people working with MCC talk about their host countries when they go overseas. They are to refrain from comments that would offend or jeopardize their local partners and hurt the dignity of the people. MCC also urges its workers to respect the local culture and to refuse to reinforce stereotypes.

鈥淚 agree with the intent of the policy,鈥� said Stauffer, a major from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, 鈥渂ut sometimes I think MCC goes too far.鈥�

For two months during the summer of 2013, Stauffer was an intern with MCC in Honduras, which has the highest murder rate in the world. The American media portrays it as a violent country of drug traffickers that sends its children fleeing to the United States.

In Honduras, Stauffer wrote in his blog about the different ways he had noticed violence in that country. He mentioned the dilapidated housing in Honduras, writing that 鈥減overty like this is not unrelated to violent crime.鈥� He also wrote about his direct experiences with violence in the country.

Before posting his blog, Stauffer had MCC staff in Honduras review it. They asked him to remove the references to the houses and the violence. 鈥淚 understood about the housing because it violated dignity. But I didn鈥檛 like that they wanted to censor what I said about violence, because I was trying to relate my experiences with violence in order to break down the dominant narrative of violence,鈥� he said.

A few months later, back on campus, Stauffer signed up for the annual C. Henry Smith Oratorical Contest for students at Mennonite colleges in the United States and Canada. The student was to apply the Christian peace position to a contemporary concern in 1,500 words or less, speaking for 8-10 minutes.

Stauffer decided to write and speak about the dangers of avoiding difficult discussions about violence, inspired by his experience in Honduras. He also drew on a TED talk that has been reference frequently by MCC workers. It was by in which she decried the dominant cultural narratives.

In Honduras, MCC wanted to fight the dominant narrative that the country was a violent place. 鈥淏ut in this case, where I couldn鈥檛 even talk about violence, MCC had similarly adopted a single story to compensate against the dominant narrative,鈥� Stauffer said.

Stauffer鈥檚 speech, titled 鈥�,鈥� won first place at EMU last March. He received $250. The two runners up for EMU were senior major Chris Yoder and senior major Jordan Luther. The other contestants were first-year student Sara Caitlin Neubert and junior Chris Parks.

鈥淚 am grateful for students like Seth who not only are willing to serve with MCC but are also then able to begin to process that experience in an academic setting,鈥� said , an EMU professor who currently chairs the MCC U.S. board. She and her husband also served previously with MCC in Central America.

Stauffer鈥檚 winning speech at EMU was videotaped and sent to three judges who work in peace and justice ministries at MCC U.S. and MCC Canada 鈥� Sue Eagle, Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz and Ewuare Osayande.

The winners were announced in late August. In addition to Stauffer in second place were Abby Deaton of Goshen College in first place and Mary Schrag of Bluffton University in third place. Stauffer received a $225 cash prize and a $200 scholarship to a peace conference or seminar.

Stauffer plans to graduate from EMU in spring 2015. After a 鈥済ap year鈥� of work and study in Harrisonburg, he hopes to enroll in law school.

Stauffer, a second-year major from Lebanon, Pa., delved into the dangers of avoiding difficult discussions about violence in some areas where works. 鈥淚 think it is important for MCC to consider what ability they have to be subversive to violence by communicating about it in a more helpful way,鈥� said Stauffer.

The annual C. Henry Smith Oratorical Contest brings together students from Mennonite and Brethren in Christ colleges and universities in the United States and Canada to speak on contemporary issues from a Christian perspective. Winners at each school move on the intercollegiate portion of the contest for cash awards and conference scholarships.

Stauffer鈥檚 speech drew inspiration from ideas put forth in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie鈥檚 TED talk, 鈥�.鈥� In that talk, Adichie speaks of painful experiences she has had coming to terms with others’ perceptions of her, and her perceptions of them based on the dominant cultural narrative. To her, these single stories were fraught with inaccuracy and unhelpful stereotypes; getting beyond them allowed her to more fully experience the world.

Stauffer summarized Adichie鈥檚 point by noting that one story is never enough. But ignoring one particular story among many also has its pitfalls. As an example, he cited MCC censorship of a blog post he wrote about violence he witnessed last summer, while volunteering for the organization in Honduras. MCC, he said, didn鈥檛 want to reinforce the perception of Honduras as a violent place. 鈥淚n some ways, just talking about violence will reinforce popular assumptions,鈥� Stauffer said. 鈥淏ut in this case, MCC had similarly adopted a single story to compensate against the dominant narrative.鈥�

After a lengthy discussion, a three-judge panel, including EMU professors and , and Jennifer Davis Sensenig, a local Mennonite pastor, deemed Stauffer鈥檚 speech the best of the five entered in the contest.

The judges evaluated each speaker on topic, content, conclusion, delivery, introduction and originality. After the speeches, , organizer and emcee of the event, thanked all the student participants for their courage and their insight, and expressed her relief at not having to judge such an outstanding group.

The judges awarded Stauffer the first spot and also recognized two runners up, Chris Yoder, a senior major, and Jordan Luther, a senior majoring in . Yoder spoke about cultural adaptability in the context of cross-cultural experiences, while Luther gave a speech about the challenges and social stigmas associated with accent.

Rounding out the five speakers was first-year Sara Caitlin Neubert, who investigated issues of body image and the role of the church in promoting positive self-image. Chris Parks, a junior, drew the first speaking position of the evening and made an appeal for acceptance and equality titled “Dreaming a New America.”

Stauffer will receive $250 and entry to the intercollegiate portion of the contest.

Last year鈥檚 winner of the C. Henry Smith Oratorical Contest at EMU was Emily Harnish. She placed third at the binational contest with her speech, 鈥淟essons from the Hymnal in an Election Season.鈥�