Lincoln Willis '98 easily jumps into things when he feels needed.
Last summer, while hiking in the Shenandoah National Park on the Appalachian Trail with seven children as their camp counselor, Willis had a run in with a bear.
Acting quickly in the emergency situation, "I put myself between the kids and the bear," he said. Luckily, the bear left on its own and no one was harmed.
As co-founder of Voces Clamantium, Willis was also quick to move to create a group to meet a need on campus.
His freshman fall, Willis and a group of seniors saw a need for a group to help understand and discuss religion on an intellectual level.
Willis said they felt that academics often "dismiss religion as crutch." He said he believes that religion is based on reason and faith and helped found Voces Clamantium so other students could have a forum to discuss this issue.
"If you don't have any reason behind faith, then it is a blind faith," Willis said.
Voces Clamantium currently has about 15 members who meet weekly and sponsor discussions.
In January, Voces Clamantium co-sponsored the panel discussion with conservative pundit William F. Buckley, Jr. with Navigators Christian fellowship, the Tucker Foundation and Hillel, the College's Jewish student organization.
In the controversial discussion, Buckley discussed the role of Christianity on college campuses.
Through other such discussions, Voces Clamantium also hopes to address issues of science and faith and the similarities and differences between religions, Willis said.
Willis is currently working on another campus need -- the lack of communication between members of the Greek system and the faculty.
He is the president of the Order of Omega, the Greek Honor Society which focuses on the intellectual side of the Greek system.
"I hope to fulfill the new vision for the Order-- to incorporate more faculty into the Greek life," Willis said.
Next term, the organization will hold a discussion with Speech Professor Jim Kuypers, who will speak about the faculty's impression of the Greek system.
Willis also dedicates much of his time to community service through Tucker volunteer programs, including the LEAD mentoring program for elementary school students in the Upper Valley.
Willis is at "home in both areas -- in the seats of leadership" and "in caring as a servant" for the underprivileged, said Director of Navigators Christian Fellowship Craig Parker.
Unlike many others, Willis "leads by example and character more than arrogance," Parker said.
Willis also attends the Thursday Night Fellowship, a Christian fellowship group run jointly by the Navigators and Campus Crusade for Christ.
Willis has been a brother at Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity since his sophomore fall. He said he likes the house's commitment to community service projects.
Sig Ep brother Rob Ristagno '00 described Willis as someone who "goes out of his way to help others" -- from Sig Ep brothers to students in the community.
A government major from Smyran, Del., Willis is currently working on a lengthy paper for his senior seminar on "Spain and Romania: Defects of NATO enlargement on the consolidation of democracy"-- a topic which particularly interests him.
Willis also finds time to participate in outdoor activities such as hunting and hiking at Velvet Rocks and along the Appalachian Trail.
This summer, Willis plans to hike the Appalachian Trail with two friends for a month. Following that, he plans to teach government to high school students in Washington, D.C.
