Year: 2018

Faculty members showcase their love of performing at OWU recital

By Maddie Matos, A&E Editor

Ohio Wesleyan praises itself on having the best faculty possible, and celebrating the accolades that each of them accomplish. The Faculty Recital-Tour d’Anches Woodwind Trio on January 30 celebrated some of the music departments staff.

Professors Nancy Gamso, Karen Pfeifer and Emily Patronik all performed at the show, which lasted an hour.

The professors are in a trio, and have been performing for seven years. They have performed together in the past for the school.

Each professor plays a different instrument and memorize pieces involving all the instruments to play together. Each instrument presents its own challenges.

“We are a reed trio which means we each have a reed on our instrument.  I, as an oboist, make my own reeds and so does the bassoonist,” Professor Karen Pfeifer said. “Dr. Gamso performs on both the flute and clarinet which means she has to switch instruments halfway through… The music is very difficult and tricky, and we try to bring all three of our parts into one ensemble idea.”

The pieces chosen for the performance come from the Ohio Solo and Ensemble Contest list, with practices starting in early January.

The pieces chosen for the recital vary, with the professors hoping to add variety to each show.

“Some of these pieces are not in the standard repertoire, so we will be introducing people to some wonderful gems,” Professor Emily Patronik said.

The professors hope to perform at high schools, to teach young students how the piece sounds in real time and teach the piece.

The recital was something fun for the trio to do and allowed them to present their lives outside the classroom.

“We love performing together,” Pfeifer said. “Making music is so much fun.”

The recital was open to OWU students and the Delaware community. The event was free to students and had refreshments afterwards. The professors felt that the show went well.

“The performance was a lot of fun,” Pfeifer said. “It went well.”

The audience was receptive of the show as well, despite the small audience. Hopes for more students in attendance were shared by the professors and fellow audience goers.

The show gave the musicians and audience a chance to experience a different musical style and attitude. The pieces were more casual and upbeat compared to traditional woodwind trio pieces.

The performers felt success after their show, and were glad to share that with the OWU audience.

 

 

New entrepreneurial center to give students taste of “real world”

By Maddie Matos, A&E Editor

The city of Delaware and Ohio Wesleyan University have collaborated on a new project, that benefits both the campus and community.

Inside the center will host both businesses and educational resources. It is designed for students to gain access to the corporate world and prepare them for jobs.

“The entrepreneurial center will enhance and transcend a traditional liberal arts education and be a model for creating an interdisciplinary culture that brings together students, work centers, and community to improve local economic, cultural and social enterprises,” Woltemade Center Administrative Director, Megan Ellis said.

The center was announced to students in an email sent on January 22 from President Rock Jones. The email outlined the idea for having the center and what it will do for campus.

The center was approved by the Delaware City Council on January 22. The council will invest $250,000 in the next five years. OWU is also talking with Delaware County staff members as well to see if they are interested in the project.

The idea for the center came from a group of faculty, who wanted to further enhance the connection between campus and OWU. People involved in the project include Ellis, Sean Hughs, Economic Development for the City, Bob Lamb, Economic Development for the County and Assistant Professor of Economics Dan Charna.

The committee was inspired by other campuses connecting with their cities but have made the center their own.

“There are other innovation labs and entrepreneurial spaces on other campus and we did a lot of homework to learn best practices and examples we could learn from,” Ellis said. “This is unique in that we’re the first partnership including a small liberal arts institution and the surrounding city and county.”

The center will be at 70 S. Sandusky Street, where the current Stewart Annex is. The location allows easy access for both students and business to collaborate, a goal for this center.

“The center will add important educational opportunity for students at OWU, and it will add important economic benefit for Delaware as new companies are formed and ultimate as new jobs are brought to our community,” Jones said.

What businesses will be housed in the center are undetermined but will provide opportunity for OWU students to connect with the community of Delaware.

 

Flu-like symptoms spreading throughout campus

By Reilly Wright, Managing Editor

Influenza and influenza-like illnesses are storming campus this semester with several cases now confirmed, the Ohio Wesleyan University Student Health Center reported.

Marsha Tilden, director of student health services, says the OWU Student Health Center staff has seen 30 students with influenza or an influenza-like illness as of Monday morning.

“The majority of students that we are seeing for illness have influenza,” Tilden said. “We have seen a few students with a stomach flu and upper respiratory infections.”

Symptoms for flu-like illnesses include body aches, fever, coughing and sore throat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports symptoms for the common cold are more gradual and moderate compared to the flu’s abrupt onset that can last up to two weeks.

“[I feel] like a gross, sniffly, drippy-nosed child,” said Larisa Keating, a junior whose flu-like symptoms began Sunday.

According to the CDC, current nationwide hospitalization rates for the flu are some of the highest in years with numbers still rising.

“The worst semester that I can recall was during the [2009] H1N1 outbreak,” Tilden said. “This semester ranks high with the number of students we have seen.”

Known as a complex and difficult illness to predict, multiple influenza viruses are currently widespread including influenza B and influenza A H1N1 and H3N2. This season, influenza A H3N2 is fiercely dominating.

The Delaware General Health District notes 96 percent of flu-related patients in Delaware county have influenza A while influenza B and unknown types compose the following 4 percent. This H3N2 strain typically leads to higher flu activity because it more severely affects the elderly and the young while naturally mutating, causing flu vaccines to be less effective.

Although researchers in Canada had reported this season’s flu vaccine to be around 10 to 20 percent effective against the widespread H3N2 strain, there is no confirmed vaccine effectiveness report for the U.S.. Despite this, CDC officials continue to recommend the vaccine for anyone over 6 months old to combat other flu viruses and reduce symptom severity.

The Ohio Department of Health reports over 8,600 influenza-related hospitalizations statewide since Oct. 1, 2017 with 97 of those coming from parts of Delaware County according to the Delaware General Health District.

Tilden says the OWU Student Health Center has received no word of student hospitalizations or deaths this flu season.

On average, flu seasons last between 11 to 20 weeks, beginning as early as October and peaking between December and March. This leaves several predicted weeks ahead with increased flu activity.

“No classroom seems to ever have kleenex so if you’re going to class, stock up,” Keating said. “Avoid other sick people because you probably have the immune system of a child at this moment and become a couch potato for the next few days.”

Students with flu symptoms are recommended to contact the Student Health Center at (740) 368-3160 or visit their office in Stuyvesant Hall between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. By appointment, flu vaccinations are still offered for both students and employees. The Delaware General Health District at 3 W. Winter St., also offers vaccinations and health tips.

To avoid getting the virus, the Student Health Center recommends getting the flu shot, thoroughly washing your hands, covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing and sanitize commonly used surfaces. If you feel ill, they recommend simply staying home until you are fever free for 24 hours without using medication.

The CDC recommends taking antiviral drugs as soon as possible for those becoming severely ill or highly vulnerable to its symptoms.

 

 

Jenner shocks public with baby announcement

By Maddie Matos, A&E Editor

Part of the world was shocked, while others felt they knew it all along.

Kylie Jenner had her baby.

The announcement came on Saturday afternoon, with a tweet of a video, and following up with a second tweet with an image explaining why Jenner hid the pregnancy.

The video documented Jenner’s pregnancy journey, with footage of doctor appointments and the baby shower. The video also had clips of different friends and family members telling the baby many positive encouragements about themselves and their mother.

The video also announced that the baby is a girl, with rapper Travis Scott being the father. The name was not revealed, only the birthdate and gender.

The second tweet from Jenner explained the reasoning for keeping her pregnancy private.

“I knew for myself I needed to prepare for this role of a lifetime in the most positive, stress free, and healthy way I knew how,” Jenner said.

The decision to hide the pregnancy from the world was met with an outcry of support from many people. Millions of people tweeted the news and offered their congratulations and respect for the new mother.

There were people who did not respect the decision, leaving negative comments about the pregnancy, saying it is a poor decision for someone so young to have a child, or that she should have shared this with the world.

I find that Jenner did what any young mother would want. She kept her pregnancy to herself and allowed everyone in her life to enjoy the experience with her. Pregnancy is a personal and powerful experience, one that is also individualized for people as well. Every pregnant woman has the right to handle it how she wants, and Jenner is entitled to that treatment.

By keeping herself out of the spotlight, she gained the respect of mothers everywhere, who want to shield their children from the world for as long as possible, and to enjoy this time in their lives. This baby has every right to lead a private life with its parents until they decide what is best for the child. No one should impose on that or even question that right.

The birth of this child has brought to life the privacy and humanity that celebrities have, and it is something I respect and admire Jenner for.