Hamline University Athletics

What's your history with Hamline?
I came to Hamline in August of 2021, right when we were coming back to campus after the pandemic. This is the beginning of my fourth year as the University Chaplain and Director of the Wesley Center, and while I've been teaching since I started, this is my first full year as Affiliate Faculty in the Department of Social Justice and Social Change. I came to Hamline, because the three-part job of 1) chaplain (or United Methodist pastor); 2) director of a student center focused on spirituality, service, and social justice, AND 3) professor teaching in the area of Religious Studies -- was an opportunity I could not pass up. It wrapped up all the things God has called me to do into one paying job. It felt like finally coming home. I stay at Hamline, because it didn't just feel like coming home, I really have found home. In my experience, Pipers -- students, staff, faculty, and administration -- are interested in making a difference for the better in the world and building a community of care and belonging. It is like no other university I've known. I am so grateful that my path led me here and that now I too am a Piper.

Why are Extracurricular Activities and Sports in College so Important?
Getting out of your dorm or staying on campus a bit longer as a commuter student is extremely important so you can begin to feel that Hamline is not just a place where you study to get a degree, but where you get to develop as a human being in ways you did not necessarily expect. Getting involved on campus is a low-stakes way to check-out things you've never tried or a chance to shine at things you are great at--either or both ways you will be getting to know fellow Pipers while at the same time having an impact on the community. While not everyone is an athlete (saying this for a friend) being in a sport in college is a fabulous way to not only find belonging in a community, but to learn discipline and time management in a supportive environment. Not only does it provide these life long benefits, but student-athletes are challenged everyday to grow and excel in ways that are just not possible through reading books, engaging in discussion, or listening to a fascinating lecture. The student-athletes who are able to integrate embodied learning through sport with the work and life of the mind are truly exceptional. 

What's your Relationship with Running/Athletics? Why did you want to be a Faculty Rep : 
I know it is pretty unbelievable, but I have actually trained twice for a marathon and ran the Marine Corp Marathon in 2003. Here's proof of my exceptionally terrible time -- but hey, I wasn't the 15,000th, and more importantly I finished :):  

I was in seminary with my friend and roommate Rachel McIver -- now Rev. Rachel McIver Morey. I decided I would run a marathon to help raise money for a project I was working on in Peru. Rachel didn't want me (a non-athlete) to die, so she decided to do it with me. We had planned to run the DC Marathon, but it was canceled due to the beginning of the War in Iraq on March 30, 2003. So we trained again -- the first time was through the DC winter and the second through the summer. It was an incredible experience, but I can tell you for sure that I will never do that again--marathons are no joke. Today, I am honored to be a faculty rep and look forward to being more present with the Men's Cross Country Team this year. I am inspired by how hard they work and I'm seriously thinking about breaking out my own sneakers again.