09-21-1973

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Career Center grows, offers new services by Dave DeKok One of the more difficult questions a student is faced with during his four years at college is what he will do when he graduates. Oftentimes students leave school with little idea about what job they want or how to go about getting one when they decide. THE HOPE CAREER Counseling and Placement Center, headed by Myra Zuverink, aids students in solving those two problems. According to Zuverink, although the Center formerly serviced only prospective teachers, it now has expanded its services to include students with any major or intended career.

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Volume 8 6 - 3

Hope College, Holland, Michigan 49423

September 21, 1973

Posthuma announces

Student Congress sets goals Student Congress opened another year Sept. 13 with plans to look into the housing, recruiting and food services situations. The various committees of the congress plan to examine the possible extension of parietal hours, the admissions situation concerning literature and procedures for recruiting and revision of the congress constitution. Suggestions for the construc-

tion of malls between College and ing; secondly,-in discovering the Columbia on Tenth and Twelfth general attitude toward the balstreets and for the endorsement of ance and living arrangements of Cora Visscher in her bid for a seat the sexes; and finally, in whether on the Holland City Council will or not accommodations could and be made to the Holland city gov- should be improved. ernment. In its first meeting the Student Planned analysis of the housing Congress tried to get a general feel situation will center on three for the existing interests of Hope areas. First, the Student Congress students. Accurate interpretation is interested in why so many of student desires could be said to students prefer off-campus hous- be the Student Congress* over-all goal for the year. In President Ron Posthuma's words, "I hope Student Congress can represent student opinion effectively within the community government structure." The next meeting of the Student Congress is planned for A weekend at Stratford page 3 Thursday, Sept. 27 at 9 p.m. in P. Boddy on movies page 3 the student lounge of the DeWitt Cultural Center and is open to Summer theater a success page 3 student attendance and opinion.

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MYRA ZUVERINK •WHEN STUDENTS come down to see us we ask them to register and make out a set of credentials," she said. "These include three references from faculty members. It's easier for a student to get references now because after several years it's often hard to get in touch with former teachers to have them write the recommendations." Zuverink explained that the credentials, including the references, go on permanent file and may be referred to by a graduate for the rest of his life. Letters from firms the graduate is employed by will also be included in the file.

THE CENTER "DOES not find jobs for students," she stated. Rather "we match job openings with the credentials of students who might qualify for a certain job opening and send them (the credentials) off to the company 'making the offer. They take it from there." Another service offered by the Center is scheduling interviews with representatives of corporations and school systems visiting the campus. "LAST YEAR, FOR example, representatives from IBM, ParkeDavis, and General Electric visited Hope. The economy is picking up now so more recruiting is being done by corporations," added Zuverink. The picture is not so bright with school systems, though, she said. Last year only five school systems sent recruiters, compared to 60 five years ago. ZUVERINK FEELS students are more career oriented now and said they often express a desire to know if their major will tie into a career. The center has an extensive career library now, she added, and also a booklet detailing what careers are connected with each major. According to Zuverink, the Center's services were employed by many of last year's graduating class "FORTY-EIGHT percent of the class of '72 were education students, and they were required to use our services. However, a good percentage of the other majors used it also." She pointed out that this somewhat contradicted the statement in the Hope catalogue that almost half of all Hope graduates go on to graduate school, since few education students try immediately for a higher degree and if their number were added to the number of other majors using the Center, the sum would come out to far more than 50 percent. She allowed, though, that a faculty member had told her perhaps the catalogue statement referred to the number of graduates which eventaully go to graduate school.

Coed interviewed

Western Seminary gives nod to women students " \?

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by Annette Miller "At first I was a little apprehensive. I remember singing in chapel the first few times and not being able to hear my voice above all those men," said Joyce Borgman, speaking of her decision last year to enroll in Western Tehological Seminary. "My voice is a little stronger now," she smiled. LIKEWISE, the voices of many women in the Reformed Church seem to be growing a little stronger. Although women graduates of Reformed Church Seminaries are not yet allowed to be ordained, the seminary does offer an alternative to the Bachelor of Divinity Degree.

"There are many women who don't think of seminary as a real possibility. Their first reaction is it's not for me.' But more and more of them are beginning to see the viable possibilities in teaching, either at the college or graduate level or in fields of clinicalpastoral psychology," said Borgman, who is Head Resident at Brumler House. SHE SAID on the whole her male counterparts at the seminary have been interested and very supportive of her. According to Curry Pikkaart, student body president at Western Seminary, the reception of Borgman and the other women en-

Suicide Prevention Service, the emphasis is an listening "Suicidal feelings are certainly involved in several of the calls we receive each month, although the majority of callers face other personal crises such as unwanted pregnancies or parent-child hostilities," explained Cathy Pfeiffer, a 1973 Hope graduate and director of the Suicide Prevention Service in Holland. Essentially an emergency answering service, the program began nearly five years ago under the Community Mental Health Services for which Pfeiffer serves as volunteer co-ordinator. Off-campus student volunteers are now being sought by the Ministry of Christ's People to work a weekly six to 12 hour shift answering calls for the prevention hotline. Off-campus students are

preferred, Pfeiffer explained, because they need not be reached through the campus switchboard. She added that this is the first year Hope students will become directly involved with the program. Two training sessions have been tentatively set for early November and will be conducted by Pfeiffer and Dr. Leslie Beach, professor of psychology, and experienced volunteers. Pfeiffer described this orientation as "empathy training in small groups." In explaining the program's philosophy, Pfeiffer pointed out that the emphasis is on listening to the caller's problems and "trying to help him through the immediate crisis." "We attempt to let him do everything he can for himself," she added.

rolled in the seminary this year has been very good. He pointed out the need for women in seminary. "The church is crying out for workers in the field of Christian education and this is one ripe area for women," Pikkaart said. HE CONTINUED, "The adjustments of enrolling women in the seminary has caused some problems. Some seminarians are opposed to having women in any capacity. One man even came up to me and said, 'you're in the wrong business.' " Borgman added, "So many men are conditioned to listen to a women but they don't really hear what she says. Things I say that 1 really feel are important are sometimes not picked up with an equal amount of urgency as those of a man." SHE SAID that a real test of her abilities came after she monumentally became the first women in her classis of the Reformed Church to be granted a license to preach. "At the first churches where I preached, women would come up to me and say, we enjoyed your sermon, but it's just not like hearing a man's voice," she recounted. Another memorable experience came when the seminary held a week-end retreat and she discovered that she was the only woman present. "I wanted to go but I had qualms about the talk it might conjure up. But the Dean gave his approval and in the end it turned out to be a good experience," stated Borgman. ALTHOUGH the General Synod of the Reformed Church does not yet allow the ordination of women, it does grant women a license to preach. The Synod has engaged in a spirited debate on

the subject stemming from the use of the words " h e " and "his" in the Book of Church Order. The Synod decided to grant Joyce Stedge, a 47-year-old mother of six and graduate of Union Seminary, permission to preach before Reformed Church congregations. However, according to the Church Herald, "This does not mean that the door has been opened for women to become ministers of the Word within the Reformed Church." THOSE WHO oppose ordination base their views scripturally on a passage in which Paul advocates the silence of women in the Corinthian Church. Borgman said, "There is also a passage which includes the words 'in Christ there is no male or female.' But I believe this provides a sound basis which asserts that women are suitable and also qualified for the ministry." t4 THOSE WHO INTERPRET the passage in Paul literally and oppose women ministers are some of the same people who hire women Sunday School teachers, choir directors, etc." Borgman added. She stressed that women who contemplate entering seminary should do so because of their desire for service and their personal relationship with God, rather than their desire to merely join the ranks. Now, at the peak of women's lib she said that, "it could be a thing to flaunt and abuse." BORGMAN DEMURRED as to whether she will test the statutes of the Reformed Church and seek ordination. "My general desire is to communicate the word of God," she stated. According to Borgman, this communication can take the form of a career in

clinical-pastoral psychology or teaching. She said, "people need to be healed, both physically, mentally and spiritually." Borgman is the only woman enrolled in the Bachelor of Divinity Program at Western but there are five other women enrolled in the Christian Education program. Earlier this year. Western was charged by the civil rights division of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare with discrimination against women. According to the seminary's administrative dean. Reverend Elton M. Eenigenberg, the seminary has maintained an open admission policy including women for several years. HE STATED, "Although no active recruiting has been done for women, approximately 20 women have been enrolled at the seminary during the past few years." The Reformed Church admits women into their seminaries but does not allow them to use their training to become ministers. EENIGENBERG said, "Before any woman comes here she is informed of the limitations." He added, "It could be an implicit form of discrimination." "I see nothing biblically opposed to the ordination of women, although LWrotc some articles against it in the 1950's. I've changed my mind and 1 believe that the New Testament favors neither sex," Eenigenberg said. Will ordination of women in the Reformed Church be forthcoming? Eenigenberg responded, "I think ordination will eventually be established, especially in the eastern states where there it receives more positive response. It will take much longer in the West but it will come."

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