News dump: Service hours update, cafe name revealed, Chase Dempsey resignation
News dump: Service hours update, cafe name revealed, Chase Dempsey resignation
A recap of the latest notable developments.
Strategic Priority 2 update
On June 26, Bethel president Jon Gering sent an email to Bethel faculty, staff, and students outlining the administration’s plan for a service hours requirement as the institution’s Employment Experiences program continues.
The school will introduce a pilot cohort of students who will each complete 12 hours of service during the upcoming academic year. By the time said class graduates, each student will have done 48 service hours. A committee consisting of Bethel employees and students will be formed for continuous feedback regarding the program.
Next spring/summer, a revised proposal of the program (if necessary) will be presented for the 2024-2025 academic year. Feedback from 12 employees and five students, as Gering wrote, helped shape this plan — which showed an “overall support of an ethic of service being part of the Bethel College culture.”
The 1887 Cafe name revealed
The new name of the Mojo’s space previously operated by Reverie Roasters is The 1887 Cafe, Director for Institutional Communications and Marketing Tricia Clark announced in an email sent to the Bethel community on June 30.
Students were given the opportunity to vote between three choices through a Google Form. The other two options were ‘The Graymaroon’ and ‘The Maroon Spoon.’ Per the voting ballot, The 1887 Cafe title was nominated because it “celebrates the founding year of the college. More than that, Bethel exists because of the collaboration between Newton and the church community.”
Aladdin Campus Dining is set to begin operating the cafe on Aug. 1.
Chase Dempsey resignation announced
On July 6, Tricia Clark announced the resignation of Chase Dempsey in an email to the Bethel community, effective July 17. Dempsey served as Bethel’s multimedia coordinator since the spring of 2021 and was the inaugural recipient of The Collegian’s Thresher of the Year award.
“Chase has made many valuable contributions to Bethel College,” Clark wrote. “Highlights of those accomplishments include Thresher of the Year, 2023; a fresh perspective and influence to our visual marketing; being a natural leader throughout Bethel in his committee assignments…”
“[He] enhanced our community and I personally feel blessed to have worked alongside him,” Clark added. No timeline was provided for identifying Dempsey’s potential successor.