Dan MacAlpine Visits Gordon

By Stuart Knechtle

Wenham, MA—When Dan MacAlpine came to Gordon on Thursday he brought with him a lifetime of experience to share with journalism students. His main objective was exhorting the students to use clear and concise language that could pull an audience in, instead of putting them to sleep.  

Peace In The Midst Of Conflict

Stuart Knechtle

            During the 1960s to be a black citizen in the U.S. took courage and an understanding that God wrote the law, no county or government. The legislated law at that time said that if your skin color was darker than white, there were many things you could not do. Today it is unfathomable to think that just a few decades ago you could be jailed for not sticking within the parameters that your race was assigned to here in the U.S. Change would need to be made, and it would come from the unlikeliest of activists. Young adults in their early 20s or teens (many even younger) stood up to the mainly older white, racist authority that sought to suppress the entire race.

            Similarly to how communism fell in the 1980s in Europe and at Tiananmen Square, apartheid also would crumble in South Africa due to young men and women taking a stand. Those in Birmingham Alabama started this dauntless trend that became contagious. The first day the fire hoses, dogs, and clubs came pouring down on these activists in Birmingham, a masterpiece for media was created. In one block you could witness the horror of white, racist bigotry towards the nonviolent young blacks that would fill up newspapers across the country. This incredible stand for peace in the midst of violent hate would wake people up to what was going on around them. Although Martin Luther King Jr. only saw signs of the “promised land” he predicted his people would enter even though there was a good chance he would not be going with them.

Gordon College Alumni Offer Advice to Next Generation

By Stuart Knechtle

Wenham, MA—Students at Gordon College flocked to try and hear words of wisdom imparted by successful alumni this past weekend. Mariwyn Light, a Communications Major from the class of ’09, spoke to a journalism class at Gordon about the drug wars in Mexico and how Americans’ addictive natures are fueling the entire volatile situation there. “Now that I am at grad school in El Paso Texas, I see how much Gordon helped me in my writing to set me up so I can help change this situation” she said, “but journalism and writing will also help you in whatever field you go into.” She encouraged the class to write as often as they could and seek advice from the talented professors at Gordon.

John Phelps, a 2008 Communication Arts major, had spoken a week before Marilyn. He stressed the importance of writing for either a local paper or applying for an internship that could help jump start a possible career. He pushed the students to work hard because “once you enter the real world things only get more competitive and you begin to see that a good night’s sleep is very tough to come by.” Phelps’ exhortation to work hard seems to be a model that each of the alumni live by.   

Trevor Peterson was another grad who was on Gordon’s campus this past weekend. He was a standout student athlete when he was at Gordon College as he received all conference honors in lacrosse and graduated with honors in the field of Economics in 2008. “Gordon helped me understand critically what my faith was and should be” he said, “I would encourage any current student to join some kind of ministry that he or she could attend with consistency.” Peterson said that Gordon helped nourish and groom his faith as it set him up for the deep growth he experiences now.

Peterson also spoke about the importance of having a diverse group of friends when you are at college so you can see life from different perspectives. By finding the right group of people at Gordon they can help you “get involved with something deep so you can see where your gifts and talents really lie” Peterson said.