What happens when you invite Kris Schmidt and Matt Siderhurst to settle into some bean bags on a Friday night? Biology, the woes of Goshen, embarrassing dates, and a reminder that professors are people, too.
On Friday, March 16, the International Student Organization (ISO) hosted their second Professor Story Time of the semester. Kris Schmidt of the Biology Department and Matt Siderhurst of the Chemistry Department got cozy in Common Grounds and shared numerous stories from all parts of their lives, ranging from college experiences and finding career paths to what is going through their minds during class.
The audience huddled close to the Common Grounds stage, creating an intimate setting for conversation and interaction between the professors and the crowd. Schmidt and Siderhurst riffed off each other, sharing stories back and forth, using each other as reminders for the following ones.
At the beginning, Schmidt shared his introduction to the Mennonite school system via a job at Goshen College. After overcoming the shock of horses and buggies as well as Goshen’s “scary” atmosphere, Schmidt settled into a job at Goshen for five years. Siderhurst, a Goshen alum, also shared stories from his experience there, from train-hopping to sneaking into the school’s much-coveted hot tub.
From there the conversation bounced around to the struggles of finding careers and continuing schooling, as well as finding wives. Schmidt recounted his first date with his wife, where he had his friend’s overly-large tux on, an embarrassment considering her presentable dress. Despite the first encounter, Schmidt “church-stalked” her — as Siderhurst put it — the next day, continued to develop their relationship, and married her a year later.
ISO hosted the storytime as a pleasurable way for the organization to engage with students. In preparation for their upcoming gala, ISO has decided to host a monthly event for students’ enjoyment, but also as a reminder for the gala. The gala, which will occur on April 14, will raise money for victims of sexual assault in the Congo. “ISO is trying to do these really fun, interesting events that aren’t necessarily related to [the gala], but it’s leading to the bigger event,” said sophomore Donaldo Lleshi. “People need fun sometimes.”
The audience remained engaged throughout the whole conversation, asking questions and providing a steady backtrack of laughter. First-year Zach Shifflet enjoyed the openness of the professors. “It was kind of cool to see how the professors had lives,” he said. “They used to have fun [and] they’re just like us.”
Lleshi seconded an appreciation for the candidness of the conversations. “They’re really great at making the stories in class relatable and like the … stuff they’ve done when they were kids,” Lleshi said. “They’re just fun people to be around and interact with … because they understand.” A crowd favorite of the conversation seemed to be Schmidt’s fear of alternating “organism” for “orgasm,” a moment that had many still laughing after the conversation had ended.
In the coming weeks, ISO will be hosting events on April 8 and 14. April 8, ISO will be co-hosting a concert with the Latino Student Alliance, headlined by EMU’s own Maleke Jones and the band Willow Run. A few days later will be ISO’s main event of the year, the Spring Gala.
