Letter to the Board of Directors from students and alum

Posted below is the compiled list of student and alum appeals we have received so far. I did not include the signatures in this blog, but if you are interested in adding to the list of appeals or signatures, please let me know by 7 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4.

Student Appeals

Justine Johnson

To the Board,

My name is Justine Johnson and I am a senior Writing and Rhetoric major with a Journalism minor. When I was a senior in high school, I didn’t want to attend college. My mother dragged me to a college fair and I arrived at the Northwestern table with a terrible attitude. The only initiative I had in mind was to find a school with a writing program. Most of the schools I had seen so far didn’t even have an English major, they just had an education major. Only Northwestern had a Writing and Rhetoric major (I didn’t even know what rhetoric was until I took a class on it here).

As a junior, I took all of the required rhetoric classes—three in the same semester, actually—and finally learned that rhetoric is, simply put, everything we do and say and write and wear. There is no way to avoid rhetoric, and the same could be said for writing. It is everywhere. Yet not everyone knows how to do it well. In fact, I have learned during my time at Northwestern that most people are quite poor writers. However, my writing classes have also taught me that writing is a skill to be improved, not a gift that can be given or taken away.

Yes, some people are better writers than others, and in that way, writing is a gift. But with the ability to type or to form words with our mouths or our pens comes the ability to improve a mechanical skill which eventually becomes a muscle. Without the Writing and Rhetoric major, I never would have learned to believe that every person I tutor in the Peer Learning Center has the potential to become a great writer.

So Writing and Rhetoric was what brought me to Orange City, Iowa. Not the science program, not the excellent community fostered in the dorms, not the general education classes that I was assigned my first semester. Well, I guess one of the gen-eds I took would be an exception. That was my Literary Contexts class with Dr. Martin. I walked into class and a bearded Canadian taught me how to properly cite poetry. Dr. Martin failed me on my first paragraph response, then told me to rewrite it and give the work some real, critical thought. We read authors from a variety of backgrounds and countries around the world, something to which I had never been exposed before college.

When Professor Sowienski left after my sophomore year, Dr. Martin became my adviser. I began taking more classes with him, learning how to write a decent short story and receiving feedback regularly through both in-class workshops and personal emails on my pieces. I read authors from multiple continents, most of whom did not write their original drafts in English, and this widened my perspective on writing and on the world. I learned to value a B+ from Dr. Martin after he explained that he gave A’s to students who showed remarkable progress in their second drafts. When I received my first A in a class with Dr. Martin, I knew I had finally learned how to revise my first drafts thoroughly and carefully.

As an upperclassman in the English department, I feel it is vital to the survival of this college to keep the Writing and Rhetoric major. Without this major, students will not be able to leave college with the best-rounded experience because they will be lacking the skill in writing that would carry them through jobs in all fields. Without Dr. Martin’s presence here, Northwestern would be lacking an intelligent, kind, talented professor who invests time, effort, and love into the lives of his students both inside and outside the classroom. Further, Dr. Martin’s influence on the English department and on the general education program here is irreplaceable.

Please consider the following thoughts of students and alum who feel passionate about keeping and strengthening the presence of the English department.

Nicole Montgomery

To whom it may concern:

My name is Nicole Montgomery, and I am a junior English Teaching Major. I am writing in hopes that you’ll listen to my opinion on the elimination of the Writing and Rhetoric major and Dr. Martin’s position. I would like to respectfully disagree with your decision and challenge you to reconsider your reasoning in eliminating this position. I completely understand our low enrollment issue and realize that as a result, we need to make sacrifices. However, I do not agree with the decision to sacrifice Dr. Martin’s position.

Since coming to college, Dr. Martin has continuously served as a professor who has challenged my thinking. When I was convinced I believed one thing, Dr. Martin asked me about another viewpoint, helping me to understand the bigger picture. This kind of thinking and dialogue has not occurred with any other professor on campus. In eliminating Dr. Martin’s position, we are losing the valuable thinking that Dr. Martin provokes in students.

Dr. Martin’s care clearly shows with his students. I remember having a workshop for a piece of writing that was difficult for me to share. It had told the story of a deep and personal struggle I had dealt with while in high school. My classmates did not receive the writing well and weren’t very gracious in their comments to me. After leaving class deeply hurt that day, I received an email from Dr. Martin making sure that I was okay. He reaffirmed the value in my story and commended me for telling such an important story, even if it was hard to tell. It’s not every day that we encounter this great care that students have for professors. Dr. Martin continues to serve as an example of the type of teacher I wish to be in caring for my students.

Through sacrificing the writing and rhetoric major, we are eliminating the entire reason so many students come to this college. The Modified English major simply cannot encompass the importance writing has on students. If we wish to create successful students to enter the working world, we must have effective communicators. Eliminating writing and rhetoric will weaken our ability to prepare students to communicate well. Furthermore, the emphasis on writing is appealing to a large number of students because not all want to focus on literature analysis. By breaking the English major into education, writing, and literature, students have the unique opportunity to specialize in one area and become especially skilled.

Finally, by eliminating Dr. Martin’s position, we will only be hurting other majors. A large number of students take literary context with Dr. Martin, and in that class, he really shows students how to think and communicate well. He sets up a space for respectful dialogue and shows students how to disagree with one another gracefully. By not having Dr. Martin teach this class, students are going to be losing a great opportunity to think at a deeper level. More specifically, our English teaching major will also be weakened in the elimination of Dr. Martin’s position. Our other English professors are wonderful, but are far more focused on the literature aspect of English. Without having an aspect of English tied to writing, English teaching majors are only going to be equipped to teach literature, which is a miniscule part of English education as a whole. If we wish to produce teachers who help educate the next generation well, we need to have Dr. Martin’s position, so English education students will be well-versed in literature AND writing effectively.

I hope you will reconsider the elimination of the Writing and Rhetoric major as well as Dr. Martin’s position. The value Dr. Martin has to a lot of students reaches far beyond what words can describe. Many of us would much rather be asked to live without the extra amenities we’ve been provided with for a while than to see our favorite professors leave. I hope that you will take these letters as a sign that we students are paying attention to the decisions being made and that we care about what you are doing. Thank you for your time.

Mallory Bjork

To the Board: 

This semester is the first time I have had Dr. Martin as a professor.  Being in his Intro to Narrative and Verse class has challenged me to think about my writing in ways I have not before.  I have been able to dig deep into my writing instead of feeling like I was only scratching the surface of what I can do.  Dr. Martin has also challenged me to write about things I have been scared to write about, to go against the norms and what I am comfortable with.  The faith discussions we have in his class are also thought provoking, especially learning to see faith from different perspectives and in different contexts.  

If Dr. Martin's position is eliminated, our English department will lack the unique writing courses that we English majors thrive on.  We will instead become a major that consists of standard English courses, much like a community college.  As a private liberal arts college, we should be known for our English department (and we are), but I fear what will become of it if his position is eliminated.  An already small major may become smaller yet due to prospective students choosing to go to a college with a complete and diverse English department.  

Allison Mulder

Dear Members of the Board,

I’m currently a senior participating in Chicago Semester and graduating in December, so most campus happenings seem very far away. However, one issue that remains very close to me—and fills me with dread—is the elimination of Dr. Martin’s position and the loss of the Writing and Rhetoric major.

From the beginning of my life at Northwestern, the Writing and Rhetoric major has been the curriculum I appreciate most. As an aspiring author, I loved that I was able to pursue and develop my creative interests alongside more academic and professional writing. The writing skills I learned in classes such as Short Fiction or Intro to Narrative and Verse transferred over to all my other areas of study. For example, I took a class on Fantasy writing early on, and struggled to express my imaginings on paper in a way that others could understand.  After several years studying under Dr. Martin and taking other writing classes, I’m now much better at making complex ideas understandable in writing. I was even able to draft a full novel for my Honors Research Project, and craft a presentation on my process. Throughout that project—and many others—Dr. Martin’s feedback, heartfelt encouragement, and support as a mentor has been crucial.

In the next few days, Crossed Genres—a fantasy and science fiction magazine paying professional rates, and a qualifying market for membership in the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America organization—will be publishing one of my short stories. It is my first professional sale, and I wrote that story during my time at Northwestern, while immersed in all things Writing and Rhetoric. With luck, dedication, and the skills I’ve developed at college, this will by no means be my last sale. My hope is that I will someday be an author with many short stories and novels in print, and young writers will ask where I went to college, and I will be able to point them to Northwestern with confidence in how much my alma mater values my art and field of study.

If that’s too ambitious (or optimistic) an argument, here’s a humbler one: while I worked as Spectrum’s copy editor during my sophomore and junior years, we staff members poured ourselves into our task—under Dr. Martin’s supervising role—because we wanted to build a stronger community for the writers on campus. Not simply those who want to become authors, but anyone with an interest in writing, in any capacity. We thought about the students beyond our own graduations. We tried to streamline things for the staff members who would come after us. As a writing and rhetoric major at Northwestern, I desperately wanted to strengthen a community for all the students who would come after us. I wanted more of a writing emphasis at Northwestern. Please, don’t deprive future students completely.

I request that you reconsider the elimination of Dr. Martin’s position and the loss of the Writing and Rhetoric major. I may be finishing my time at Northwestern, but this community must be preserved for those who will need it in the future.

Shannon Teske

Members of the Board,

    Hello, my name is Shannon Teske. I am a freshman this year and am an undecided major. This title stresses me out quite a bit though I was glad to know I didn't have to decide right away. However, this decision to drop the writing and rhetoric major is very distressing. I knew nothing of this major before coming here and I am extremely excited to learn about it, knowing it will match my interests well. I am considering majoring in writing and rhetoric once I have taken a few classes next semester, but if the major is being dropped, I have to decide very quickly with little to no knowledge on the topic. This is my current dilemma, but I fail to see why this would be the major to cut. 

    Writing and Rhetoric (to me) seems to be some of the most transferable skills one could ever learn. In a liberal arts college, I would suspect that to be taken very seriously. Writing is an important and beautiful skill that is applicable to nearly every occupation and major. Rhetoric is the art of persuasion, for crying out loud. Why doesn't everyone know this? We learn to write reviews and essays, to defend our views while attentively listening to those of others and understanding what we see in the world around us. This is what I have found Northwestern stresses most in the classes I have taken, so why would this major that fits so perfectly into Northwestern's fundamental beliefs be cut from the college? 

    Granted, I am not a Writing and Rhetoric major, I have never taken any of its classes, and I do not know Dr. Martin. Despite my setbacks, I still believe that this major is extremely important and we would be at a great loss if it were to be removed. As for Dr. Martin, he seems to be an amazing person and a great teacher from what I hear and I was very excited to be taking some of his classes. The idea of no longer having that opportunity depresses me. 

    I am still having a difficult time trying to figure out why it is this major that is to be cut. Does it not tie in and reflect every trait that the Northwestern community claims to be honorable and wise? I cannot imagine that it does not. I think this major and this professor are intrinsically important to this community and this college, despite the fact that they may not be pulling in as much money as the other major fields. I think we would be at a far greater loss than advantage if this major and professor were to be cut from the school. Once again, I have little experience in this area but somehow it is still obvious to me. Perhaps I am biased and unknowledgeable. Perhaps not. That is for you to decide. These are my thoughts for you to interpret.

Lydia Steenhoek

As for Dr. Martin,

In all my years of writing classes (we’re talking from 1^st grade on), I really only remember two instructors:  my fifth grade teacher, Mrs. Howell, and Dr. Martin.  True, he is my most recent instructor, but I have never seen a single teacher put so much time and effort and thought into the development of his students’ works, and it is this incredible passion for helping others do their best work that makes him so memorable.  I remember the first time I received a paper back in Narrative and Verse my freshman year.  I was absolutely stunned by all the notes in the margins – it had been several years since anyone wrote anything on my paper but ‘check spelling’ or ‘good job.’  Here was commentary on flow, style, metaphor choice, critical questions and incredibly specific praise of my successes.  I have never been so happy to receive a ‘B’ in my entire life.

That, I think, is what makes Dr. Martin special.  He is friendly, and cares deeply about life outside the classroom, but many professors here do that.  What Dr. Martin does is care so deeply about students that he pours his time not just into social niceties, but in serious academic and spiritual discussion, pushing boundaries, setting high standards, and investing his whole self into helping them be the best they can be.  He cares about art, God, and people, and has been an unbelievable influence for my approach to all three.

If we claim to be a Christian liberal arts institution, we need leaders and teachers like Dr. Martin, who are courageous and curious, persevering and playful, harboring both a holy hilarity and deeply empathetic eyes to encounter the pains of the world. We will never build a holistic Kingdom or really change the world if we stick to the studies and practices that are merely practical or safe.  My experience at Northwestern College would not be the same without this incredible professor, nor would my very being.  His loss is a fatal one to the English department and a critical one to the school, and I would urge you with all I have to preserve his position and the major that has meant such a great deal to students.

Carrie Bouwman

The main reason I came to this school was because of the fact that they had a Writing and Rhetoric major. I didn't really want to major in English teaching, and literature is simply not my thing. I've had a passion for creative writing for about as long as I can remember, and being able to work on my skills as a creative writer in classes solely focused on writing and improving your writing has made my life so much better. I hate to think that future students might not get the same experiences that I have.

As for Dr. Martin, he's my adviser and has been since I started school. He's helped me navigate what classes I need to take. I'm a junior this year and if he were to leave, I would have to get a new adviser for my final year. I don't think that's fair. Not to mention, he's a superb teacher. After taking his short fiction class, I saw a great improvement in my story telling. It may not be perfect, but with his encouragement and suggestions I can only get better. I hope that he can stick around for years to continue to inspire and help students of Northwestern. 

Abbie (Goldschmid) Amiotte (’15)

To Whom it May Concern:

As a recent graduate of the Writing and Rhetoric major, I am devastated to learn of the potential end to this major and the removal of Dr. Martin's position. Not only does this major benefit those students who study it, but it is vital to exposing the rest of campus to the benefits of writing, literature, and rhetoric. After serving as a student ambassador, it became clear to me how little the rest of the world outside of my department understood about rhetoric. Potential students as well as my friends around campus often misunderstood rhetoric as an evil form of mind-control. (One parent on a tour actually asked me how a Christian college could possibly teach rhetoric. Without the education from professors including Dr. Martin, I wouldn't have been able to answer her.) Unfortunately, there is very little discussion in gen-ed classes regarding that rhetoric is everywhere and impacts every facet of our lives. Sure, it's in politics and advertising. But it also in church, relationships, news, family communication, everywhere. It matters that students understand what rhetoric is and how it affects our lives in order that we can determine how arguments shape and alter our worldview. Gen-eds don't do this, and writing and rhetoric majors are necessary to explain rhetoric to their fellow students. And the major is necessary for future students to be exposed to rhetoric as well. Without it, young adults may never understand the necessity to think critically in all situations because they lack the understanding of how rhetoric works and how it permeates life. Northwestern prides itself on communal learning; removing the writing and rhetoric major will deprive the rest of campus of a vital learning opportunity. 

As for Dr. Martin and his impact on his students, I feel a bit lost for words. It seems ridiculous to me to need to defend the necessity of an individual whose teaching, mentoring, and friendship changed my entire NWC experience. I only took one class with Dr. Martin; a fiction writing class that utterly terrified me. I like research papers and non-fiction, and prior to entering his class, I had never finished a short story. Through his encouragement and critique, I was able to conquer my fear of writing fiction and ultimately create pieces I am proud of, two of which appeared in last year's Spectrum. But beyond just an educational experience, Dr. Martin challenged me to read and explore authors whose works demonstrate the importance of delving into darker topics through writing as a form of cathartic release. He would send me stories even after my semester in his class was over that he felt might impact my own writing for the better. He took the time to continue to invest in my writing far beyond what was required of him as a professor. And, as my writing is extremely personal, he demonstrated an investment in me as a person. He believes in my ability to produce good work, even when I don't, and as such, he has made me a more courageous writer. I firmly believe we need Christians to write about hard things (in my case, I often chose to write about infertility and miscarriage-issues widely ignored in many Christian circles); Martin also believes in the importance of this calling. He creates writers willing to do this, and without him, Northwestern would certainly lose a vital element in its pursuit of creating faithful and impactful individuals to work for Christ's redeeming work in the world.

Jordan Dykstra (’15)

My name is Jordan Dykstra, and I graduated from NWC last May. It pained me to hear the news early this fall about the writing program and in particular, Dr. Martin.

Last spring, during my last semester, I had an urge to take an elective course of something that would interest me. I approached Dr. Martin about the 300-level short fiction writing course, and he graciously let me into the class. This course put an exclamation point on my education, and I will always carry fond memories of not only an outstanding group of fellow writers (99% of whom were in the writing major), but a truly consummate professional in Dr. Martin.

While I was never a writing major (and much less talented than my peers who were), Dr. Martin instilled a confidence in my writing style and helped find my voice. He gave very detailed feedback, was extremely caring of his students and knew his medium inside and out. It was a class that I looked forward to coming to ever week.

In my opinion, losing Dr. Martin (and a writing major) would be an extreme disservice to the mission of Northwestern and its brand as a liberal arts institution. It's a disservice to higher learning.

Carissa Tavary

Members of the Board,

I think the writing and rhetoric major needs to be saved because of the diversity it adds to the English department. English is such a broad field of study that to get rid of specific degrees, such as Writing and Rhetoric, would be hurtful to the preparation of students for their careers. You cannot generalize English, just as you cannot generalize business or science. Imagine having General Biology, Microbiology, Genetics, and Environmental studies all under a vague Biology major and saying you have adequately prepared Northwestern college students for a career in Laboratory Science? Or for a career in clean energy research? You simply cannot force each of these topics under one name because they are too large and require too specific a curriculum. Such is the way with Writing and Rhetoric. We would be losing vital information and curriculum by combining these majors. Further, Northwestern College’s Vision for Learning reads: “A Northwestern education prepares students to: Engage ideas… [Students] add their voices to the wider conversation through disciplined and imaginative speech, writing, art, and performance.” How can students engage ideas in this wide conversation through imaginative speech and writing if they are being generalized and pushed under a vague field of study? I understand the English degree that would inhabit parts of the Writing and Rhetoric major would be rigorous and challenging, but to the extent that students feel encouraged to pursue their passion? Their gifts? Just as you cannot say all students learn the same or act the same, not all students share the same passions and gifts. They will not be pushed to further these for the kingdom of God if they are not supplied with the necessary tools to explore that interest. 

Trevor Delamater

As a senior, I have taken classes from many great teachers Northwestern, and few have challenged me to give my best like Dr. Martin has. No other professor at Northwestern can match him for pushing me to improve while also inspiring me with confidence in myself and a passion for learning.

I came to Northwestern with a lot of doubts myself, but Dr. Martin's encouragement, both in and out of the classroom, helped me to see myself as someone who could contribute value to the world. Without him, my Northwestern experience would not have caused me to dream boldly about the future.

Budget problems can be rectified with time and wise planning, but Dr. Martin is truly irreplaceable. Please consider how the loss of one of Northwestern's best professors will decrease the quality of education for future students. If Northwestern College sacrifices its excellence in academics and student development, its cost savings are wasted.

Abbey Slattery

To whom it may concern,

Earlier this semester, I, along with the other students in my major, received the news that Dr. Sam Martin’s position would be terminated after this year, and with him, the writing and rhetoric major. I’m writing to ask you, those who can do something about this situation, to please reconsider your choice. Dr. Martin is not only a favorite professor for many students on this campus, some not even in the major, but is also an indispensable member of the English department. If he leaves, so does an entire major. And if that major—my major— leaves, then what reason do I have to stay here? I have come to think of Northwestern as a home away from home. I have made lasting connections and relationships with the people here. I don’t want to have to leave. And I’m sure Dr. Martin doesn’t either. But if Northwestern becomes a place that no longer cares about the writing & rhetoric major and fires the professor that supplies it, then I don’t have much of a choice.  Dr. Martin deserves to stay. He’s a great professor. And if eliminating him eliminates an entire major, how is it logical to make him leave? There has to be a better way of accomplishing whatever “rightsizing” needs to be done without cutting a crucial member of Northwestern’s community out of the picture. By cutting Martin, you’ll be leaving us English students with a severely weakened curriculum. There might not be as many of us as there may be in other majors. Does that mean that our futures and our career paths should be valued less than those who majored in business? I came to this school so that I could experience a specialized writing program that would help me refine my skills. If you get rid of writing & rhetoric, then it would feel to me as if everything the people who are involved with the major have put into this school has just been ignored. I don’t mean to sound harsh or abrasive. I just care so much about the writing & rhetoric program, and Dr. Martin along with it, and I truly, truly believe that cutting both the man and the major is detrimental to the future of the college. I ask that you please remember not only how this cut will affect Dr. Martin’s life here, but also his family’s, and the lives of the students he advises. When—and depending on this decision, if—I say I graduated from Northwestern, I want to be able to say it proudly. Please don’t make the mistake of taking both a job away from a man who truly cares about this school and a major away from students who are passionate about their field of study. C’mon guys. We’re all just humans. There has to be a better way. 

Julia VanDyk

To the board:

I am a junior theater major (PR minor) from Ames, Iowa. When I told people as a high school senior of my decision to attend Northwestern, one of the questions I would most commonly receive in response was “Why didn’t you choose Iowa State?” This response makes sense, given the fact that my father works there, it’s right in my town, and Iowa State has its own successful theater program.

But I chose small, Christian, liberal arts Northwestern.

I came in as a double major in theater and PR, knowing I’d have the opportunity to complete classes in both of those areas along with a rich array of other liberal arts subjects. While I am also affected by the changes in the PR department, my small voice is just one in a sea of voices who will be even more greatly affected by the loss of a significant portion of our liberal arts school.

I am a student ambassador. I speak with prospective students on a regular basis, and I am familiar with many aspects of admissions. I know that while enrollment is down now, it will not be forever. Students are still looking for a place like Northwestern. They are looking for a Christian Writing and Rhetoric major. They are looking for specific things that they cannot get anywhere else, and will not be able to get at all if Northwestern ceases the existence of this major and one of its most important professors.

According to our most recent ambassador meeting, we’ve already had many more prospective visitors and more applications submitted that we usually do at this point in the year. Surely those numbers count for something.

I know these are difficult decisions to make. My intention is not to disregard the board or other affected departments. I am not a Writing and Rhetoric major; I have not yet taken a class with Dr. Martin. But I am looking forward to my class with him in the spring, and I hope my small voice may join that of the sea: past, present, and future students.

Thank you.

Lisa Bouwman

I was thrilled when Northwestern began offering the Writing and Rhetoric major during my time there. Although I had a love for reading and literature, my true passion was writing. The professors in the department and that time, primarily Joanna Trapp and Carl Vandermuelen (who have since moved on from Northwestern), were my absolute favorite teachers and taught the most meaningful and valuable classes I took while I attended. In particular, the classes on rhetoric impacted and helped me more as a young professional adult than my inexperienced college self could ever have predicted. The studies on rhetoric and writing together taught me not just how other people wrote (like my literature classes tended to do) but how to express my own opinion effectively. Since the primary form of communication in businesses is email, the ability to express what I wanted or needed in written form and in convincing manner that appealed to my given audience, contributed greatly to my success. Fifteen years later, I still use those skills every day.

When my niece, Carrie Bouwman, told me she was going to Northwestern and taking this same major, I could not have been more excited. Now she has informed me that the program is in serious danger of being cut. The study of the classics and the honing of writing are two of the most valuable skills a college student could graduate with and use to express themselves in the world. Don’t make the mistake of believing that students interested in these types of programs will settle for an English major instead. They are not and should not be considered to be an equal subject of study. I would implore any decision makers at Northwestern to reconsider cutting this program.

If you would like to contact me, I would be happy to discuss this in more detail or answer any questions. I can be reached at lisabouwman@gmail.com.

Theresa Larrabee

Martin is honestly one of the most engaging professors I've had. He made me excited to do work for his class. When I've taken his classes I've always felt valued as an individual, and he really encourages original, honest work. Sometimes in academic settings, creativity can be lost or pushed aside, but he always wanted us to strive for our own voices. I think he's one of the only professors I've ever sought out outside of class to get his opinion on my work and ask questions. And he's just so good at his job! He really knows what he's talking about and he makes class fun. I never dreaded going to his class, even when it was a night class.