On December 5, 12 graduate students in 草莓社区鈥檚 MS in Biomedicine program defended their original research in a virtual oral presentation. Their work ranged from laboratory experiments with cardiac proteins and African clawed frogs to public health inquiries on and off campus.

Since 2013, the master鈥檚 in biomedicine program has helped graduates prepare for careers as health professionals. The research component is just one unique curricular offering. Students also benefit from a unique approach to cadaver dissection, which many alumni say has provided optimal preparation and a strong background for the rigors of medical school. Several articulation agreements with professional health schools enhance opportunities to matriculate and continue with career goals.

Each oral defense is evaluated by professors in the MS in biomedicine program, committee members, other faculty and other graduate students.

The research component brings graduate students into mentoring relationships with faculty, alumni and other professionals across many disciplines. Committee members for this round of research projects included Doug Graber Neufeld, professor of biology; Daniel Showalter, professor of mathematics; Jeff Copeland, professor of biology; Scott Barge, vice president of institutional effectiveness; Kristopher Schmidt, professor of biology; Ryan Thompson, director of the psychology program; and Tara Kishbaugh, director of the biomedicine program.

Master’s candidates and their research topics include:

Josephine Awotoye: Predictors of not having a primary care provider in the United States: a cross sectional analysis of the 2018 behavioral risk factor surveillance system;

Mecca Baker: Direct and indirect regulation of cell cycle genes by HLH-25 in Caenorhabditis elegans;

Luz Contreras: Health literacy and demographics in Spanish speakers in Harrisonburg, Virginia: a two-part survey questionnaire with self-reported sections;

Cesar Corona Gutierrez: Which neurons play a role in lifespan extension in Drosophila melanogaster;

Jessica Hindle: The effects of nicotine and glyphosate-based herbicide on orofacial cleft;

Carmen Meacham: The effects of progesterone and estrogen on the feminization of Xenopus laevis;

Jennifer Rojas: The effects of electronic cigarette liquids on immunity and lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans;

Jessica Saunders: Investigating young Black Christians’ attitudes towards medicine in America;

Sukriti Silwal: Effect of bovine milk and NovaMin on the demineralization and remineralization capacity of teeth;

Kristen Snow: analysis of cardiac troponin levels as an indicator of recovery time and myocardial infarction reoccurrence;

Gene St. Val: Influences of transportation, insurance and demographics on DSM-5 cross cutting symptom measures and treatment adherence;

Benjamin Wright: The role of unc-53 in ced-3 mediated apoptosis in Caenorhabditis elegans.

A campus culture that 鈥渞espects students鈥� right to protest鈥� 鈥� that nurtures both students and the social movements they create, and embraces student activism as being the result of new knowledge at the core of liberation 鈥� benefits the entire community, said Hinojosa, a professor of history at Texas A & M. In their activism, students think critically, lead outside the classroom, practice civic engagement, and develop a greater sense of social responsibility.

Hinojosa鈥檚 August 14 address on the conference theme of 鈥淏eing or Becoming a Third Way University鈥� began the two-day event鈥檚 broader discussions around campus engagement, civic collaboration and diversity and inclusion, goals that are articulated in the university鈥檚 strategic plan.

鈥淒r. Hinojosa鈥檚 address was a helpful invitation as we anticipate the return of students to campus,鈥� said Provost Fred Kniss. 鈥淐ultivating students鈥� abilities to engage with the world is central to our mission, and as an institution we can also learn from their desires for change.鈥�

Conferences an annual tradition

贰惭鲍鈥檚 faculty-staff conferences bookend each academic year, with the fall event providing gathering in fellowship and renewal of the community鈥檚 common purpose and goals.

Braydon Hoover, director of development and annual giving and frequent conference emcee, pointed out that common vision in his welcome: 鈥淲e鈥檙e all here for the exact same purpose 鈥� to prepare every single one of our students to distinctively serve and lead in a global context,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hether you coach on the grass or you cut it, whether you teach 18-year-olds or students a little older, whether you work remotely or right here on campus, whether you took a break this summer or work diligently all year round, and even whether you hail from the titular religious tradition or another completely different, we 鈥� all of us 鈥� are EMU.鈥�

The event included workshop sessions, worship and fellowship opportunities, and what鈥檚 become an annual favorite, 鈥淪torytelling,鈥� featuring members of the campus community sharing about their journeys to, towards or within the EMU community. Fall storytellers included professors Johonna Turner and Esther Tian; Jasmine Hardesty, director of development and planned giving; and Scott Barge, vice president of institutional effectiveness.

The event was also a forum for announcements about the upcoming academic year, including the observance of MLK Day with extensive service and learning opportunities replacing scheduled classes.

Keynote speaker calls for empowering synergy

Hinojosa knows what it means to envision a different university. While a student at Fresno Pacific University in California, he joined student movements to encourage the hiring of more diverse faculty and expansion of the curriculum and academic programs.

鈥淗ow could a university in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, surrounded by a large Latinx population and located in an area that gave birth to the greatest and most successful farm workers civil rights movement, not teach a course on this?鈥� he said.

The synergy between his own student activism and intellectual engagement 鈥� the 鈥済rowth of political consciousness and understanding of history,鈥� his own and his people鈥檚 鈥� was both personally empowering and beneficial to the campus community.

Now a tenured professor of history at Texas A&M University, Hinojosa also directs the history department鈥檚 undergraduate studies and is co-founder and co-director of the Latina/o Studies Working Group sponsored by the Melbern G. Glasscock Center for Humanities Research.

Sharing his pedagogical philosophy that asks 鈥淪o what? Now what?鈥� with his students in courses about social movements, Latinx history, gender, comparative race and ethnicity, Hinojosa has become a resource, guide and mentor to diverse student activists.

This role 鈥� and the work of activism itself 鈥� is 鈥渕essy鈥� and 鈥渃haotic,鈥� but 鈥渕ore important than ever,鈥� he said.

In considering the role of the 鈥渢hird way university,鈥� Hinojosa noted the history of socially progressive Christians. While 鈥渄istorted forms of Christianity got the most play,鈥� they quietly went to work in communities around the world.

鈥淎 third way university must build on this radical tradition,鈥� he said.

In response to a question from Director of Multicultural Services Celeste Thomas, Hinojosa elaborated on additional ways of supporting black and brown students in the predominantly white university setting: listening to the voices and perspectives of marginalized students, hiring diverse and/or culturally competent faculty and staff, providing safe community spaces for these students, and prioritizing issues and the history of diverse communities in curriculum and academic programs.

Beyond the keynote

Afternoon breakout sessions offered faculty and staff opportunities to learn more about distinctive programs that link to core values of 贰惭鲍鈥檚 mission and vision. 聽

Various restorative justice initiatives and programs were highlighted in a special session hosted by professors Johonna Turner and Carl Stauffer, who co-direct the housed in the . Jon Swartz, associate dean of students, talked about restorative justice as it relates to the campus community and highlighted the growth, and growing interest, in RJ-related trainings. Meg Sanders, director of 贰惭鲍鈥檚 Graduate Teacher Education program, spoke about the new master鈥檚 degree and graduate certificate in restorative justice, as well as the integration of RJ principles and practices into professional training courses offered by the university.

Director Kimberly Schmidt presented on the , 贰惭鲍鈥檚 Washington D.C.-based program offering cross-cultural urban studies, internship and community living experience. She was joined by Associate Director Ryan Good and Program Assistant Karlyn Gehring.

Doug Graber Neufeld presented on the , a collaborative initiative of 草莓社区, Goshen College and Mennonite Central Committee to lead Anabaptist efforts to respond to the challenges of climate change. Neufeld, a biology professor at EMU, directs the center.

The appointment of the steering committee is the first of four actions implemented by Huxman in response to the Board of Trustee mandates after receiving the D. Stafford and Associates .

In addition to the work of the steering committee, Huxman announced three other actions to address best practices in the education and prevention of sexual misconduct on campus: development of a full-scale Title IX training program for faculty, staff and students; the implementation of a campus climate survey; and a review of the effectiveness of 贰惭鲍鈥檚 Title IX coordinator position, as recommended by DSA.

The DSA report found that EMU has 鈥渆xtensive and detailed policies鈥� addressing sexual discrimination, but these policies are found in disparate places; their recommendation was to create one comprehensive institutional policy.

鈥淲e are eager to move forward,鈥� Huxman said. 鈥淚 was pleased by the focus and commitment at our first meeting. This group of full-time EMU employees collectively has the requisite special expertise in all facets of education around sexual violence and discrimination. I have full confidence that this committee will prepare a report that takes us beyond compliance, one that helps us to live into our mission and our Anabaptist values of peace and reconciliation.”

Board chair Kay Nussbaum expressed appreciation for the ongoing work of Huxman and the administration, as well as for the new steering committee.

鈥淭his work is vital in strengthening 贰惭鲍鈥檚 capacity to prevent sexual violence, effectively respond to allegations, and create a safe environment for our campus community,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e are grateful to move forward on this agenda with intentional action and focused leadership.鈥�

Committee begins work on new Title IX policy

Huxman has named six members to the steering committee. By June 2017, this committee will have proposed a comprehensive new model for 贰惭鲍鈥檚 Title IX policy.

To create this model, the committee is charged with reviewing DSA鈥檚 Title IX policy recommendations, as well as those recommendations for best practices addressing sexual violence collected by a fall 2016 task force.

, director of counseling services, chaired a key EMU task force that met in the fall and is also a member of the steering committee.

, the new Title IX coordinator, will chair the steering committee. Other members include , director of human resources and former Title IX coordinator; , co-director of Multicultural Student Services; , director of residence life, student accountability and restorative justice; and , nursing professor and current chair of the committee that hears and adjudicates Title IX hearings.

Development of Title IX training

Another action requires the design of a full-scale Title IX training program for the board, faculty, staff and students. Kniss will design the program and present it to the board, with cost estimates, a timetable and a plan of implementation for the next academic year (2017-18).

鈥淭he safety of 贰惭鲍鈥檚 community has been one of my primary concerns as director of health services and continues in this new capacity as Title IX coordinator,鈥� said Kniss, from Orlando, Florida, where she is attending a four-day Title IX training certification conference. 鈥淭he role integrates my experiences of more than 30 years in the medical field as well as 14 years in a law firm as a legal nurse consultant.鈥�

Campus climate survey

A campus climate survey will be developed by the director of institutional research and effectiveness, , and presented to the board for approval at its June 2017 meeting.

The periodic survey will poll students, faculty and staff regarding their knowledge of racial and sexual discrimination or harassment, sexual assault/violence or any experiences with sexual/racial discrimination while attending or working at EMU. The survey will also assess awareness of 贰惭鲍鈥檚 Title IX policies and procedures.

Review of Title IX coordinator

The action plan also includes review of the new Title IX coordinator position, completed by the president in consultation with the vice president of finance and human resources.

A summary of recent campus events related to healthy sexuality and institutional harms and healing

Here are some of the activities that have taken place on campus in the past six months related to the topic of raising awareness and educating students about sexual misconduct issues:

• In fall 2016 EMU sponsored a Best Practices on Addressing Sexual Violence Task Force.
• EMU hired a dedicated Title IX coordinator.
• Four staff persons have received formal training in carrying out Title IX sexual assault investigations.
• The Student Life Division integrated bystander training into orientation and first-year activities.
• Students in the teaching, ministry and healthy sexuality class and the introduction to youth ministry class participated in a half-day sexual abuse prevention training provided by The Collins Center. [This is the fourth year the training has been offered.]
• 鈥楥onversations on Sexual Violence鈥� symposium, March 2016, aimed to nurture community-building and resilience, 2016:
• A series of chapel addresses including: Sex and Millenials: #NewScripts, by Carolyn Stauffer, Oct. 5, 2016 (; Faithful Sexuality in an Age of聽 Porn, by Ken L. Nafziger, vice president for student life and dean of students, Oct. 28, 2016 (; Service of Lament for Sexual Abuse, with Professor Jerry Holsopple, Nov. 9, 2016 (; Stumbling In The Darkness (Take Back The Night Seminary Chapel) by Charlie Tinsley, Nov. 15, 2016. (.
• Symposium and lecture by Catholic victims鈥� advocate Tom Doyle which focused on institutional harms and healing, Nov. 15, 2016:
• Student-planned Take Back the Night events which focused campus attention on sexual violence and victims, Nov. 22, 2016:

Scheduled for Summer Peacebuilding Institute, 2017

Professor Carolyn Stauffer

Course description: Incidents of sexual wrongdoing damage institutions in addition to injuring individuals. When relationships are ruptured by sexual misconduct, institutions have a responsibility to repair the harms done, address breaches of conduct, and work towards prevention. This course investigates the forms that sexual harms can take and provides participants with the knowledge, skills and tools to build more preventative and restorative organizational environments. View more information.

Barge comes to EMU from Goshen College, where he has been interim vice president for enrollment and marketing, and before that, director of assessment, institutional research and effectiveness.

鈥淭he search committee and I were impressed by the breadth and depth of Dr. Barge鈥檚 skills and experience in institutional research and assessment,鈥� said Provost Fred Kniss. 鈥淲e also recognized his commitment to Mennonite higher education, his knowledge of current challenges faced by small universities, and his leadership and communication skills.聽We are confident that he will make significant contributions to the quality of the educational experience for our students and the strategic advancement of our university.鈥�

The collects, analyzes and reports data about the university to support decision-making, planning and effectiveness. The office coordinates and supports outcomes assessment efforts in all academic, educational support and administrative units of the university.

“I look forward to contributing to EMU’s continued growth and advancement through collaborative work across campus that builds on the solid institutional research and effectiveness foundation in place,鈥� said Barge.鈥滻t has been exciting to observe the university鈥檚 development in recent years, and I resonate with its articulated vision for the future as a Christian-Anabaptist university.”

Barge received his EdD in higher education at Harvard University and worked in institutional research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and LCC International University in Lithuania.聽 He has done consulting work in the field of institutional research and assessment at several universities around the world.

Among other skills, Barge is an accomplished pianist and also enjoys singing in a local choir, St. Joseph Valley Camerata.聽 He and his wife Nessa Stoltzfus 鈥�99 Barge are active participants at Assembly Mennonite Church in Goshen, where Barge assists with music leadership and serves on the finance committee.