All Aboard: Vander Laan Designs a Popular New Game
David Vander Laan's two-player strategy game, Raft & Scupper, earned an 8.3 rating on BoardGameGeek, and Mensa designated it Recommended for Play in 2021.
“I've long enjoyed games and puzzles,” he says. “It's also something that my college friends and I love to do when we get together.”
Study Examines Attachment to God, Psychological Distress
Blake Victor Kent, assistant professor of sociology, co-authored a national study examining the link between perceived relationship withGod and mental health from a sample of more than 1,600 Americans. The research suggests that religious believers who relate to God in an uncertain or anxious manner are more likely to experience symptoms of psychological distress, including anxiety, paranoia, obsession and compulsion.
Mangrum Wins Prestigious Research Award
The Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art reopened to the public with an exhibition highlighting the college’s talented art professors. “Sight & Insight: Westmont College Studio Art Faculty Exhibition” featured the work of 11 artists during September and October.
Taking a Deeper Look into the Woman at the Well
John’s account of Jesus and the woman at the well has long inspired Caryn Reeder, professor of New Testament and co-coordinator of gender studies at Westmont. “Because of her words and testimony, people in her village believed in Jesus,” Caryn says. “She is a model for women’s voices being heard. I’ve always treasured this story of a woman engaging in theological debate and becoming the first missionary. This nameless woman, who lacks wealth and power, engages in the longest conversation Jesus has with anyone in the Bible. It teaches us about who gets to be God’s people.”