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Community Challenged to Make a Difference  Tim Lewis, assistant professor of business, knows first-hand the impact that an organ donor can have. In 2012, his son Tyson was the recipient of a donor heart--a gift that extended his life by six years. Lewis wanted to honor that gift by encouraging others to consider signing the Organ Donor Registry during April, national Donate Life Month.
Lewis and the students of Phi Beta Lambda business club organized a campus-wide “Me Plus One” drive, with the goal of signing up 250 new donors in April. So far, the push has yielded 172 new donors on the registry.  For education major Shania Brown, the most difficult part of her recent service learning trip to Ethiopia wasn’t the language barrier, or the 8,000 air miles traveled, or the side effects of the malaria pills--it was seeing the students in a special education classroom whose only curriculum past the fourth grade was weaving mats. Day after day, weaving, until their parents could no longer afford to send them to school. The eight students, who ranged in age from ten to young adult, were told to remain silent as a sign of respect, so Brown was not able to talk to them.
In Ethiopian culture, these young people are considered cursed. They have no future career options beyond begging or eking out a meager existence selling goods like the mats. “No one will hire them,” Brown was told by an educator at the school. “If they did have a job, they wouldn’t be paid. They would be beaten and abused.”
YC Celebrates With End of Year Banquet
It was an evening of celebration as York College held its annual All-College Banquet Tuesday night at the Holthus Convention Center in York. The student body gathered with faculty and staff for a night of reflection, recognition, and fellowship. Several awards were presented, including Mr. and Ms. York College.
Photo Gallery  There are big things on the horizon for YC senior Deidre Freitas. Amid juggling the usual end of semester chaos, she’s also designing sets and costumes, doing extra homework on European philosophers, and looking for an apartment (they call them flats there) to rent in a suburb of London. There’s a lot going on for Freitas, a native of McCool Junction, in the next few weeks and months. She will direct her senior capstone project at YC days before graduation, hop on a plane for a six week study abroad trip, and then move to England to start graduate school.
It’s overwhelming, but Freitas is excited about all of the upcoming opportunities. “This is just my face now,” she says with a huge grin. “I look like this all the time.”  From the Italian Renaissance to modern-day Broadway, the upcoming Spring Works concert from the York College Concert Choir will offer a wide range of composers, time periods, and styles. The concert theme is Musical Potpourri and will be performed Monday, April 22 at 7:30 P.M. in the Bartholomew Performing Arts Center. There is no cost for admission and all are welcome to attend this final event of the arts year at York College.
According to Dr. Clark Roush, professor of music and conductor of the choir, the concert will be a pleasure for all kinds of music lovers. The choir will perform classic pieces by established composers including John Rutter and Giovanni Palestrina, as well as modern American composers such as Elaine Hagenberg and Z. Randall Stroope.  The 42nd annual Songfest production came to an exciting conclusion Saturday night in front of a full Spring Panther Days crowd. The high-energy musical performance featured nearly a quarter of the student body, as well as a handful of talented alumni, and each night gave audiences their money’s worth of entertainment.
Emcees for the production were freshmen Justus Coppinger and Thad Kinney who entertained with jokes, songs, and a lot of friendly banter. Hosting this year’s show were Josh “Todd” Anderson, Asa Coppinger, Conrad Morris, Olivia Nabb, Emma Seilstad, and Dri Sotolongo.  Dr. Garrett Baker, who served as president of York College from 1995-1996, passed away on Monday, April 1, at the age of 88. Baker was the brother of longtime YC faculty member Dr. Elmer Baker, who passed away in 2004.
"Dr. Baker was willing to step in during a major transition for York College," said current YC President Steve Eckman. "He had been serving as a trustee for the school and responded when there was a need until a new president could be found. President Baker remained supportive of the College after his return to Texas and looked for ways to promote York College through connecting us with donors and exploring innovative partnerships and programs to advance our mission. We remain grateful for his willingness to serve."  York College recognized eight students in chapel this morning as nominees for the Mr. and Ms. YC awards, presented annually at the All-School Banquet (April 16). Faculty and staff nominated these students based on their positive contributions across campus and their commitment to the mission, purpose and core values of York College.
Nominees for the 2019 honor include: Asa Coppinger, Colby Smith, Dylan Odom, Adrianna Sotolongo, Shania Brown, Trevor Lenear, Clay Lube, and Courtney Gibbs. 
Sophomore soccer player Bre Bembenek says she thought it was “a little bit strange” when in her first week as a student athlete at York College her team was invited to the home of a faculty member for dinner. “I’d never had a family welcome my whole team in like that,” said Bembenek. “But once I got to know them, it’s just been awesome. I love coming to their house. It’s a home and a family I feel welcomed in.”
Bembenek and teammates were hosted by Sarah Van Gomple, assistant professor of education, who is in her second year as chaplain for the women’s soccer program. The Van Gomple family has surrounded the players to support them in numerous ways, from providing them with frequent meals and a place to do homework and hang out, to relationship advice, to spiritual guidance, to a cheering section at the games. 
York College chapter of Phi Beta Lambda (PBL) participated in the Nebraska State Leadership Conference in Kearney March 29 and 30, sailing past the competition in key events. Several members of the team qualified for the National competition, which will be held in San Antonio, Texas, June 24-27.
As a team, York PBL tied for first place for largest chapter involvement at a four-year college, which is a significant achievement for a small college. Chapter president Cole Satterfield was also recognized with the Who’s Who in Nebraska PBL Award, an honor given to an individual who stands out in their local chapter for extraordinary leadership and service. |
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April 2019
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