Author: Alanna Henderson

Potential Bishops experience a slice of campus life

By Alanna Henderson, Managing Editor

Every year, Ohio Wesleyan hosts several Slice of College Life events.

This year, ‘Slice’ welcomed 165 admitted students between the three Slice events.

Slice of College Life is an event for high school students who have been accepted to OWU. These types of admission events begin in March and April and allow a chance for potential Bishops to tour campus and meet current students before making their final decision.

May 1 is the deadline for high school students to decide which college to attend.

Laurie Patton ’95 is the senior associate director of admission and the events coordinator and planned ‘Slice.”

“The 2,020 students by the year 2020 initiative is a multi-part initiative,” Patton said. “The ‘Slice of College Life’ events are, in part, part of the initiative, but by no means the largest part.”

While the 2020 plan has a set goal of how many first year students admissions would like to have enrolled for next year, much of the 2020 plan is also focused on retention. Admission events play a key role but other offices on campus are helping with the significant aspect of keeping students on campus.  

“While I would love to take credit for the students who deposit after attending a ‘Slice’ event, there are so many factors that go into a student’s college choice,” Patton said.

After the acceptance deadline, the Admissions Office will have a better estimate of the incoming class size.

Between overnight prospective hosts, scavenger hunt guides, tour guides and other student helpers, more than 100 current OWU students involved.

Junior Kari Seymour has been a tour guide all three years and said she enjoys getting to know the students while showing off the campus. In previous years, Seymour also helped with the campus scavenger hunt.

“My favorite part about Slice of Life is the scavenger hunt that prospective students go on around campus,” Seymour said. “It’s a really unique experience for them to get to know each other and the campus in a different way than normal.”

Patton said, “While it is very time consuming to prepare to these events, I’m fortunate that I have been doing this for a number of years, so many of the things I do to plan and prepare for an event have become streamlined and efficient.”

Rain or shine, one of Patton’s favorite activities during ‘Slice’ is the food trucks that come to campus.

“I enjoy having the food trucks at the event,” Patton said.  “I love seeing the current students and prospective students interacting while waiting for their food.”

Dan’s Deli, the Blue Chew and Kona Ice were all parked in the Stuyvesant parking lot where students could grab a bite to eat before watching a performance in Milligan Hub featuring the Babbling Bishops, OWU’s own comedy improv troupe, and OWU alum and magician Bill Boaz ’16.

“The most rewarding part, for me, is working with a student throughout their college search, seeing them choose and enroll at OWU, watching their growth over their years here and then keeping in touch with them post-OWU and seeing their progress through life,” Patton said.

Seniors sell art at museum

By Alanna Henderson, Managing Editor

Going once, going twice, sold. With only four days since the opening of the senior art show, 13 pieces have been sold out of 169 total displayed.

The spring senior art exhibit is on full display at the Ross Art Museum until May 13.

The 2017 theme is refraction, which features 13 Bachelor of Arts and Fine Arts senior majors, showcasing their best pieces of work throughout their time earning their degree.

Every senior spring art show, there is a theme or title of the show. Refraction originates from a take on the definition—about a beam of light traversing through many different mediums or mediums of varying density.

The theme is a symbolic re ection on the current graduating class and their experiences verses trying to combine everything together. The focus of the show is about the students as individual artists.

Seniors Louise Goodpasture and Wyatt Hall were the co-chairs of the senior art show. “It’s nice to gain this type of experience…” Goodpasture said. “[The show] teaches you the etiquette of selling yourself to galleries, and knowing how to act professionally and graciously with a museum.”

Goodpasture has sold a set of cups with detailing’s of birds. While not every piece on display is for sale, there are high hopes of selling almost every piece by the end of the show.

10 percent of the proceeds are donated back to the Ross Art Museum. The artist based on mediums and materials used will often determine the prices, but they can discuss the values with professors if desired.

Students will often begin thinking about what to showcase since determining the major. There is a wide variety of art currently on display and each year, the pieces in the show will vary. Some senior shows could include majority sculptures and other years, more displays of photographs. In this years art show, there are a wide variety of pieces for viewing and selling.

Senior BFA major Lexy Immerman has several pieces on display at the show in- cluding graphic work, a book layout, photographs, and metalwork.

“My pieces are unrelated… but I do want people to appreciate the design of everything,” Immerman said. “I want people to see the creative solution I applied and go, ‘Oh, that makes sense, I see why she did that, and it works.’”

Admission to the show is free and is open to Ohio Wesleyan students and the Delaware community through graduation.

“I love talking to people, and seeing how they receive my work…This was the rst opportunity any of the seniors had to truly take a look at what our class does … I was really stunned by the talent in my class,” Immerman said. “I’m proud to be graduating with them.”

Petroleum production, policy hot topic

By Alanna Henderson, Managing Editor

Higher oil prices are at the top of Vladimir Putin’s Christmas wish list. A political cartoon of the Russian president sitting on Santa Claus’ lap is not far-fetched considering today’s policies on petroleum.

Community members gathered Friday for the final Great Decisions 2017 lecture presented by Michael Houlahan to discuss U.S foreign policy and petroleum, with many audience members hesitant toward the current administration’s plans.

Houlahan served 28 years in the U.S. diplomatic service with the state department. His overseas postings included Japan, Romania, New Zealand, Cyprus, Italy, India, the Philippines and Jamaica. Since 1997, he has been a resource speaker for the American Foreign Service Association’s community outreach program. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College.

“Foreign policy is complex and subject to a wide range of influences,” Houlahan said. “The most basic concerns in foreign policy are economic and military security although other domestic interests can extend and insert influence.”

The U. S. government develops foreign policy in ways that protect and advance its interests. Oil has been a topic of interest since the 1990s and remains an important instrument in U.S. foreign policy.

The United States is No. 1 in world production of oil, with ally Saudi Arabia second and Russia third.

Houlahan presented phases of petroleum’s’ impact that provided a review of United States’ petroleum production and policy. The phases were derived from the work of Jonathan Chanis, who was involved with the oil industry and foreign relations for more than 20 years.

The United States’ production has dominated for decades. In World War I, the U.S. supplied more than 80 percent of fuel to allies. However, World War II was launched in part because Germany and Japan needed to secure raw materials, especially oil.

The supply and demand of petroleum caused several shifts in the prices during the Cold War; U.S. manipulation of oil supplies remained a major part of foreign policy.

In 1974, a barrel of oil averaged $12. In 2003, unpredictable oil prices began to rise and peaked in 2012 at more than $100 per barrel with a short pause in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis.

“I am unoptimistic about the future as a result of this history,” said attendee Michael Casto. “I hope that next year, we will have a [Great Decision’s] session that will focus on renewable energy.”

The final phase of oil’s impact — supply surpluses, new opportunities or new dangers — raised a lot of questions from the audience about the balance of the economy and the environment.

DG and Sig Ep dribble to victory

By Alanna Henderson, Managing Editor

Fraternity and sorority teams took it to the hoop for Phi Delta Theta’s (Phi Delt) annual spring basketball tournament.

Phi Delt held its 3v3 basketball tournament April 8 in the fraternity’s backyard court.

Delta Gamma (DG) and Sigma Phi Epsilon (Sig Ep) came out victorious and were each awarded $150 that went toward their own philanthropies.

Typically, winners receive a physical trophy, but Phi Delt’s chapter advisory board donated money to encourage other fraternities and sororities to compete. The tournament was divided into two brackets—one for fraternities and the other for sororities.

“It was a great win … but the money to our own philanthropy made the win even better because it wasn’t about us any more, it was about Service for Sight,” DG team player Lisa Zeller said.

Around 50 Greek community members came out to enjoy the sunshine and cheer for their teams and almost all Greek organizations donated or participated.

Senior Phi Delt member and philanthropy chair Lucas Janowicz planned the tournament for the rst time.

“The most rewarding part of putting an event like this together is seeing it come to fruition, and seeing members of the Greek community supporting each other and supporting a terri c cause,” Janowicz said.

The brothers host a spelling bee competition in the fall semester and the basketball tournament in the spring semester. Several brothers of Phi Delt volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America on a weekly basis and have for years, but the chapter’s philanthropy events serve the ALS Association.

OWU Phi Delt members are in the works of planning a 5k run in Delaware to help get the community more involved and partner with the Phi Delt members from Otterbein University.

“Being a retired philanthropy chair, I understand the hard work there is put into events like this, so I’m always one of the rst people to sign up,” Phoebe Bush, player for Delta Delta Delta, said. “I thought [Phi Delt] had a great event.”

To learn more about this international fraternity, visit https://www.phideltatheta. org.

OWU alumnus shares passion for recruiting Battling Bishops in Ohio

While Ohio Wesleyan was originally Patrick Huber’s backup plan for college, it ended up being his best plan.

The Air Force Academy first opened its doors in April 1954 in  the city of Colorado Springs, CO. Huber aspired to go to the Air Force Academy and graduate with the second class to ever attend.

For admission to the academy, Huber was required to pass a physical examination. His examination took place at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, just east of Dayton, Ohio, about two and a half hours away from his home in Tiffin, OH. However, Huber failed the exam due to his eyesight because he did not have 20/20 vision.

With 20 minutes left in the nearly three hour drive home, Huber’s father broke the silence of the car ride and said they needed to come up with a backup plan for  attending college.

He chose Ohio Wesleyan.

Huber graduated with the class of 1962 and continues to share his passion for OWU with prospective students. Huber has now been recruiting for roughly 15 years in the Lima, OH area.

A devoted OWU recruiter in the Lima area, Huber originally started recruiting at college fairs, however these fairs have become less popular. Nowadays, Huber  visits high schools to meet prospective students and receives a lot of recommended names from high school coaches, counselors, and teachers.

Huber stresses the importance “comfort”, which he believes is critical to the college selection process. “There’s no scientific formula for finding a college. I say when you get to that place where you really have a comfort level, that’s probably where you should go to school,” Huber said.

Ohio is a competitive state for college recruiters. While there are large state schools such as Bowling Green State University or Ohio State University, there are also colleges that can offer athletic scholarships such as the University of Findlay or Ashland University that have advantages against OWU recruiters.

“The most rewarding part is meeting the young students and then hearing them say they’re going to be a Bishop. To be able to watch them grow and hear their experiences at OWU … [it’s] probably more rewarding for me than to them,” Huber said.

Huber can be found at different OWU sporting events, cheering on the many Battling Bishops he has helped bring to OWU.

Huber has three children and five grandchildren; the youngest grandchild is 10 years old and the oldest grandchild is 21 years old. Huber said it was as if all three of his children wanted to rebel since none of them attended OWU; he has high hopes that one of the younger grandchildren will become a bishop.

Huber graduated with majors in both economics and political science. During college, he played on the football team for his first two years before a knee injury ended his career. His Senior year he joined the track team. Huber was also the Circulation Manager for The Transcript his final two years at OWU.

Huber was also involved in Greek Life as a member of Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji). He held the position of pledge trainer. As an alumnus, he was heavily involved in the process of reestablishing the fraternity on campus.

Besides being an active recruiter for OWU, he’s an avid fundraiser and currently serves as President of the “W Association,” which is the alumni board for former OWU varsity athletes. He is on the Football Advisory Board and previously served on OWU Alumni Board for six years. In June 2017, Huber will end his eighth year as president of the “W Association.”

Within the Football Advisory Board, he helped launched a mentoring program that helps juniors and seniors find internships, jobs and supports students who want to go to graduate school. The program started this year and Huber hopes other sports teams will start a similar program within their organizations.

Huber, along with three others, are recipients of the Alumni Award and will be recognized at alumni weekend in May, the following weekend of commencement. The Alumni Award is given to alumni who demonstrate outstanding service to OWU.

Huber is a supporter of the 2,020 students initiative and plans to help achieve that goal as best he can. Other ambitions of his includ updating the seating in Branch Rickey and increasing OWU’s endowment to make the university more financially stable.

“I have a passion for the university. I think there’s so many great young people here and it’s important for them to have the opportunity to succeed and go on,” Huber said.

 

OWU Spanish professor nominated for AHTC position

By Alanna Henderson, Managing Editor

Assistant Professor of Spanish Glenda Y. Nieto-Cuebas was nominated to run for the three-year renewable term on the Board of Directors of The Association for Hispanic Classical Theatre. Her term began in January 2017.

The Association for Hispanic Classical Theatre (AHCT) is a non-profit organization charted in 1984. AHCT’s purpose is to promote and foster a greater appreciation for Spain’s classical drama in production.

According to AHCT’s website, this organization “counts among its members literary scholars, theatrical directors and producers, teachers, and other aficionados of Spain’s Golden Age of Theater.”

The AHCT board members contribute in different capacities, depending on the needs of the Association. This may include assisting in the organization of the annual conference, evaluating conference paper submissions and submissions for the AHCT prizes, and proof-reading articles, according to Nieto-Cuebas.

“My goal is to keep working in academic projects intended at finding innovative approaches for teaching and researching Hispanic Classical Theater,” Nieto-Cuebas said.

“AHCT has allowed me to connect with numerous specialists in my field. This organization has led to different collaborative research projects.”

Nieto-Cuebas is currently co-editing a book focused on social justice in the Spanish Comedia with three other members of AHCT.

 

“The Association has also opened doors to numerous opportunities for my students. I have invited several guest speakers to give talks at OWU and in my classes whom I met personally through AHCT.”

Junior Kari Seymour met Professor Nieto-Cuebas her first day on campus. Nieto-Cuebas is Seymour’s academic advisor and took her first college Spanish course with her.

“She is extremely dedicated to her students, making sure we understand the material and Glenda is always willing to find new ways to help us,” Seymour said.

“It’s clear that she loves her job as a professor and truly wants her students to leave her class having learned something each day. I think this position is great for her because, just like teaching, it is something she is passionate about,” Seymour said.

In 2015, Professor Nieto-Cuebas led a Theory to Practice Grant project that focused on studying how theater plays are adapted and produced for contemporary audiences, how theater festivals in Spain are able to maintain a theatrical tradition, and in what way this has benefited different communities, audiences, and institutions throughout Spain.

The interviews students conducted for research in Spain were facilitated by connections Nieto-Cuebas previously made through AHCT.

“In the near future, I hope to be able to take some students to the annual AHCT conference and include them in one of my presentations so they can share their experiences working on projects and discuss how it contributed to their understanding of Spanish literature and culture,” Nieto-Cuebas said.

Greek community rushes into formal recruitment

By Alanna Henderson, Managing Editor

New year, new members—spring semester is the busiest time of the year for Ohio Wesleyan’s Greek community.

Formal recruitment for fraternities and sororities take place at the start of spring semester every year.

Sorority recruitment officially concluded on Jan. 23, with houses welcoming new members to its organizations by handing out bids. Fraternities, on the other hand, will have bid signing Monday, Feb. 6.

Forty-three percent of men and 34 percent of women on OWU’s campus are affiliated with Greek organization. To help increase those percentages, changes were made to women’s recruitment dates.

This year, women’s recruitment was held earlier than previous years. Because of scheduling conflicts, the first day of rounds started on Jan. 18 and ended on Jan. 20.

In the past, recruitment rounds would begin on the first Friday of classes after winter break in the evening, while bid day festivities took place the following Monday evening.

Panhellenic Council President Elise Baer of Delta Delta Delta (Tri-Delta) worked with Vice President Recruitment Maddie Presley-Wolff (Delta Zeta) and Membership Director Shelby Mackey (Kappa Alpha Theta).

Prior to Panhellenic presidency, Baer has been involved in her sorority as Panhellenic Delegate and vice president of chapter development.

“I really enjoyed talking to the Rho Gammas,” Baer said. “Seeing how in the beginning, they were reserved with one another, but by the end of recruitment, they were all engaged with one another and in different chapters that they might not have known ever. That was probably one of the most Panhellenic experiences in that aspect.”

Dana Behum, assistant director of student involvement for fraternity and sorority life, now has her seventh formal recruitment at OWU crossed off her to-do list.

“The great news is that recruitment isn’t perfect, but it’s something we’re given by our National Panhellenic Conference,” Behum said. “It is not unique to our campus, it’s a process that every Panhellenic across the nation will follow as appropriate to the size of their campus.”

“I went through the same [recruitment] process as an undergrad in 2002. There were 17 chapters on my campus, so first parties took an entire weekend. There is proof that it can be successful, but it is not perfect.”

New member of Tri-Delta, sophomore Ninna Maldonado went through recruitment for the first time this year.

“It was nerve-racking, but my sister who is greek at another university encouraged me to get out my comfort zone,” Maldonado said. “It can be intimidating, but the Rho Gammas and the Panhellenic council are very supportive.”

The fraternity recruitment process is more casual than sorority recruitment. Each fraternity hosts one formal event and one informal event.

Sigma Phi Epsilon’s (Sig Ep) informal event was held on Jan. 23, where unaffiliated men played basketball with active members.

“There was a good turnout of unaffiliated men who showed up and it was a good way for them to interact with some of the active members they may have not known, as well,” President Patrick Puracchio said.

On Jan. 31, Sip Ep hosted its Balanced Man Scholarship dinner.

“[This event is] where we give our Balanced Man scholarship to the person who [we] thinks lives [by] our value as a fraternity,” Puracchio said. “They have to submit an application that we review as a fraternity and then they go through an interview process and we decide out of the applicants who should receive the scholarship.”

Men’s formal recruitment held two information sessions: one in December 2016 and another in January 2017. Junior Mac Willard of Chi Phi, the vice president of recruitment events and marketing, ran both sessions. These sessions have given unaffiliated men the opportunity to learn about OWU’s Greek life overall, as well as get to know specific chapters better.

Men’s bids will be distributed the first weekend of February. The active men come dressed in formal attire with their chapter letters on flags and cheer the new members.

“Bid night has such a lively atmosphere,” Willard said. “When unaffiliated guys walk in the doors of Ham-Will and head straight to the chapter’s table where he’ll sign his bid—that’s an exciting time. The whole brotherhood there will cheer and clap and shake hands. It’s a good time.”

Thirty-eight percent of OWU’s campus as a whole is affiliated with Greek organizations.

“There are groups of people on campus that Greek life hasn’t been able to impact; I’d like to reach out to them,” Baer said.

A common fear for those signing up for recruitment comes from misconceptions, according to Baer.

“Greek Life here at [OWU] is really unique and different than you see on a lot of other campuses,” Baer said. “There’s absolutely room for growth, there’s always room for growth and whether that be further down the road and there is a new chapter opened, which be astounding, it’ll take time.”

Women’s recruitment peaked with 116 sign-ups, while 123 men signed up to join fraternities.

“I was intrigued to see and know so many different individuals involved with Greek life on campus,” Maldonado said. “I thought, if so many others on campus can find their place, so can I.”