Author: TheTranscript

Election results discussed by Professor Jenny Holland

By Evan Walsh, Transcript Reporter

Whether you supported Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, the election results likely came as a surprise to you if you were paying attention to the polls.

Every major news network, from the conservative Fox to the more left-leaning MSNBC, predicted the Democratic nominee would win.

They were wrong.

Helping to make sense of the seemingly irreconcilable story the polls told leading up to the election and the election result was Jenny Holland, Ohio Wesleyan professor of politics and government.

Her lecture focused primarily on the distinction between the electoral and popular votes within certain states, voting demographics and potential aws in the polling methodology.

Senior Kevin Rossi said the topic piqued his interest.

“It was very stimulating and [Holland] made a lot of points that I have not heard talked about,” Rossi said.

Using a number of different exit polls from several different swing states, primarily in the Great Lakes region, she said the media failed in its predictions.

Of particular importance was the Clinton campaign’s failure to get former Obama voters from those states to vote for her.

Meanwhile, Trump’s campaign bene ted from only a marginal decrease and, in some cases, even an increase over Mitt Romney in those same places and among those same people from four years ago.

News networks, too, focused on data that had been collected, while data from 2012 did not consider that that voting trend might not come to fruition.

Senior Caroline Hamilton, a politics and government major who helped organize the talk, said she was impressed with how thorough Holland’s research was.

“It was interesting to hear the comparison between Obama to Hillary and Romney to Trump and that Trump actually kept a lot of Romney supporters from abandoning him,” Hamilton said.

Considering Trump’s position as a self-proclaimed “anti-establishment” Republican such support was unexpected.

On five separate occasions, and twice in the last 16 years, a candidate has won the popular vote but not the electoral college.

“Some may feel that ‘five out of 45 times is doing a good job,’” Holland said. “Others may feel that, ‘no, five times is just too many’ and we should make a change. The reality is that the process to amend is very difficult.”

But Holland said her major concern was with the media’s poll prediction problems she addressed in her talk.

“It is probably going to be difficult for people to trust those numbers in the future when most polls did not make the accurate prediction between just two candidates,” she said.

New pizza place opens in Delaware

By Leah Mizas, Photo Editor

Pizza shop MOhio opened its doors to the Delaware community with a concise, one page menu of pizza, sandwiches, salads and drinks.

Owner Mo Nelson said he wanted to get into the food business and has been cooking pizzas for four years, studying different styles while crafting his own, according to the Delaware Gazette.

Nelson, who was initially a contractor, said he decided to start his business in Delaware after attending a car show in town.

We saw this as a solid investment opportunity and ended up buying a three-story building in the heart of Sandusky Street,” he said.

MOhio provides a three-item menu.

“If you have one thing, you do it well,” Nelson said. “The idea is that whatever I have on my menu, is going to be good. I don’t have any lost readers on my menu.”

Ohio Wesleyan junior Daniel Haygood, waiter at MOhio, said the restaurant has become a popular date spot. He also said it’s the best pizza he has had in Delaware.

Although Delaware has been flooding with new restaurants, Nelson said he hasn’t felt any type of competition.

“Everybody has been really friendly around here,” he said.

“I was told that they wanted me to open, because if one more place opens then there will be one more person who might come here who had not and will see restaurants, as well.”

But the one problem that he encountered is parking spots, especially since his clients are predominantly older.

“There’s nowhere to park,” Nelson said. “I see them drive around and then leave.”

The new pizza shop has been publicized through its Facebook page and several news outlets, according to Haygood.

Ohio Wesleyan seniors continue the hunt for jobs

By Ben Farynowski, Transcript Reporter

Like millions of other students across the country, seniors at Ohio Wesleyan University are on the hunt for employment after graduation.

Searching for a job is no easy task. In today’s society, even a college degree does not guarantee an individual a job.

According to the 2014 OWU Outcome Report, 97 percent of OWU graduates reported being employed and/or in graduate school within a year of graduation, while 81 percent of the reported graduates stated that they are working in their field of choice.

These statistics are above average when compared to a survey conducted by the National Center for Educational Statistics in 2016. This survey states that 89 percent of individuals who graduated college with bachelor’s degrees found employment within a year of graduation.

But this does not take into account whether that employment is in their field of choice.

When surveying students at OWU about their job hunting experience, senior Nick Norman said, “It is harder now than ever to find a job, and nearly impossible when you do not graduate from a target school.”

A school is considered a target when a high number of firms recruit directly from the institution year after year. Most common target schools include Ivy League universities and top liberal arts colleges. Target schools vary from city to city as well as from industry to industry.

Norman is an economics management major with minors in accounting and Spanish.

He currently has a 4.0 cumulative GPA, in addition to being the captain of the men’s soccer team and a member of the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI). Norman’s resume seems to be a golden ticket for finding a job upon graduation, yet like other graduating seniors, he continues to struggle in his hunt for employment.

Job hunting is very competitive, especially right out of college. A new factor that has become more important than ever in the hunt for a job is networking.

Senior Neil Wilson said, “The phrase ‘It’s all about who you know’ has never been more true.”

When firms are looking to hire new employees, getting referred is one way to get your resume to the top of the list. This can be viewed as a positive or a negative, depending on who you know.

Students at OWU have many opportunities to interact with a large pool of successful alumni through many programs offered by the university.

As the hunt for employment continues, look out for students to utilize resources such as the OWU Alumni Center in addition to online resources like LinkedIn.com.

OWU seniors and millions of others soon to be graduated college students continue to compete for jobs as fall semester winds down.

PRIDE celebrates Transgender Day of Remembrance

By Gabe Linderman, Transcript Reporter

In recognition of the Transgender Day of Remembrance, a small group of Ohio Wesleyan students gathered in the Benes Room in Hamilton-Williams Campus Center to memorialize transgender people who were killed out of hatred or prejudice in the last year.

The event was held Dec. 4. Students, many of whom identify as transgender, read aloud names of the 262 transgender people killed globally in the last year.

“In 1999, a transwoman created the event to recognize the disproportionate amount of murders of transgender people and the event has since been held annually on Nov. 20, but obviously we couldn’t do that, so we’re having it after Thanksgiving break,” said sophomore Emily Shpiece, one of the organizers of the event.

After the names were read aloud to a silent crowd, students mourned together and discussed the uncertainty that clouds the future.

“A lot of the time, I think that transgender voices are not brought to light,” Shpiece said. “I feel like transgender people are generally overlooked on campus. People are ambivalent to ask questions and have a conversation about [transgender issues].”

The event, sponsored by PRIDE, concluded with a sullen tone.

ROTC secures futures

By Ben Farynowski, Transcript Reporter

Two Ohio Wesleyan University students per year are selected to participate in the highly selective Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program.

The ROTC program is offered at colleges and universities all over the country. The goal is to prepare young adults for a career in the U.S. Military after graduation. According to the Army’s ROTC website, program benefits include education scholarships, health care benefits and subsidized food and housing.

OWU has an Army ROTC program as well as Air Force ROTC program available for students. The only catch is that both programs are based out of Capital University’s campus.

“You have to be committed to getting up hours before anyone else on campus and in my case, driving an hour to Capital for morning physical training three times a week on top of class, which we have twice a week,” Zach Klies, senior Army ROTC cadet, said.

When you add this heavy time commitment to a full course load, campus activities and athletics, the ROTC program can be very “taxing,” according to Klies. He said he does believe that the program has been a valuable part of his college experience so far.

“You have many leadership positions and responsibilities, especially during your junior year,” said Klies.

The program is structured in a way that you are expected to play the role of student and teacher. The program has leaders whose job it is to make sure everything runs smoothly, but it is mainly self-run by the students.

Klies said he believes he has gained many skills from the ROTC program that he will carry with him for the rest of his life. The most important skills he learned from the program were time management and how to deal with adversity, he said.

A drawback that Klies pointed out was that academic credit from the required classes in the ROTC program don’t always transfer. Even though Klies won’t be able to fulfill the requirements for his desired minor, he intends to graduate on time with a major in economics management.

ROTC programs as a whole have been gaining popularity and interest from potential new members. This is a result of people searching for alternative ways to find a job, pay for college and get a head start in to working world, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Freshmen students attend a YearOne coffee house event

By Curtice Taylor, Transcript Correspondent

College freshmen received tips about the transition from university life to home life over coffee and sweet treats Nov. 30.

The Ohio Wesleyan Student Involvement Office hosted a YearOne Coffee House event in the Milligan Hub of Stuyvesant Hall.

The event took place from 7-8:30 p.m, and was open to all OWU freshmen. The event featured free coffee and desserts, background music provided by sophomore guitarist Orion Wright, and a group of upperclassmen who spoke with freshmen.

“We want to strengthen the first-year program,” Susie Long, one of the administrators of the event, said. “It’s nice to have an event like this that welcomes all freshmen.”

Residential Life Coordinator Thea Smekens, another administrator of the event, said, “This was a home-grown event. We reached out to student leaders, and asked them to participate.”

The main focus of the event was to help freshmen prepare for the upcoming return to their homes on the holidays. Freshmen and upperclassmen spoke back and forth about different topics of college. These topics included transitioning back home for the winter break and selecting better housing for the upcoming year.

“I heard about this event from my RA’s white board, and wanted to take a break from studying,” freshman Ben Arnold said. “It was nice meeting upperclassmen and talking with them.”

Freshman K’lynn Partee said, “This event let me see what things to look forward to in the coming years. I was able to meet other people, tap into what college has to offer.”

The Student Involvement Office plans to host more coffeehouse events in spring 2017.

“We’d love for this program to grow further,” Long said. “We want more upperclassmen to reflect on their own experiences and talk about them with first-years.”

Chi Phi’s Chili Cook- Off heats up OWU

By John Bonus, Transcript Reporter

Many Ohio Wesleyan organizations made chili hoping to impress judges and win Chi Phi’s annual Chili Cook-Off.

The cook-off is held to raise money for epilepsy research. The event took place Dec. 2 from 6-8:30 p.m. in the Benes Room at Hamilton-William Campus Center.

The cook-off is held in honor of OWU Chi Phi alumnus Aaron Riley ‘11. Riley had epilepsy and died shortly after graduation.

Riley loved chili, which is why Chi Phi does the cook-off in his honor, said senior Hayden Knisley.

People purchased tickets as they entered the cook-off to try the different kinds of chili or participate in different games for prizes.

Several people served as judges, including some professors and staff members from around campus.

Kappa Alpha Theta (Theta) won the judges’ choice for best chili. On the other hand, Alpha Sigma Phi was the winner of the popular vote.

Junior Evelynn Wyatt made the chili that Theta entered for the competition. She said the chili took more 10 hours to cook, but the effort was ultimately worth it.

One of the judges at the competition was Erik Brewer, who works as a barista in the Schimmel-Conrades Science Center. He said he was really impressed with the chili he tried.

“It was really tough to choose between all of them because everyone made good chili,” Brewer said. “They tasted homemade just like my mom used to make.”

The Beat: Gud Vibrations tour comes to Columbus

By John Bonus, Transcript Reporter

Electronic music fans gathered at the Bluestone for a sold-out show put on by NGHTMRE and Slander.

The Bluestone, located in downtown Columbus near Ohio State, welcomed concertgoers on Nov. 6 for a night of dance music and light shows.

NGHTMRE and Slander did a back-to-back show, in which they switched off on the decks to play what turned out to be an exciting show. They are currently on their “Gud Vibrations” tour, which is named after the EP the two artists did together

NGHTMRE and Slander are two different artists. The former is a producer named Tyler Mareny and he is from Los Angeles, California. He has been active in the music scene for a few years and mainly creates dance music like dubstep or trap.

Slander is an electronic music duo consisting of Derek Anderson and Scott Land. They were fraternity brothers in college and created the music group in 2010. They mainly focus on trap music, but have also explored genres like hip-hop and house.

Bluestone, where the event took place, was formerly a Baptist church built in 1898. It has now been converted into a hall for music of every genre, according to the Bluestone website. The church still has its stained glass windows.

Before the main acts began, producers Habstrakt and LDRU opened with some of their music to get the crowd excited. However, the crowd really got going once NGHTMRE and Slander came on stage. Multiple mosh pits formed and people began surfing the crowd.

A large group of Ohio Wesleyan students attended the event, one of them being sophomore Josh Martineau. He said the concert was a fun and intense experience.

“I had really fun time going to the concert with all of my friends,” Martineau said. “The crowd did get really rowdy, though. I saw people pushing and falling in the mosh pits so I had to join in.”

Columbus has been becoming an increasingly popular place for electronic music artists to visit on their tours.

Orchesis 2016 sweeps the stage

By Evan Walsh, Transcript Reporter

Orchesis, presented by Ohio Wesleyan’s department of theatre and dance, excited audiences with modern, interpretive dance choreographed and performed by students.

Three shows were presented from Nov. 11 to Nov. 13 at the Chappelear Drama Center.

The program featured eight separate acts, each of which addressed issues prevalent in today’s society. Included in these acts were issues like bullying, mental stability, body image and race.

Junior Emily Rupp, who choreographed two acts, acknowledged the emotional element of this process. But she said she was also thankful that that same emotional element has challenged her in a more holistic way.

“It’s been important for my development,” Rupp, who participated in her third Orchesis performance, said. “Not just as a dancer but as a person because it gets me out of my comfort zone.”

Rupp was not alone in her reflection. In her note, Artistic Director Rashana Smith wrote specifically about the themes present throughout.

“We are a company of individuals trying to make sense of how we fit in this world,” Smith said. “We grapple with how we can make positive changes and how we can break destructive cycles. We wonder how we can support each other as we respect and honor our differences.”

In senior Jeremy Griffin-Jackson’s original work “Measuring One’s Soul,” Griffin-Jackson read a poem aloud about his African-American heritage while other dancers joined him on stage.

Audience members were impressed that their classmates were willing to tackle conflictual topics with such grace.

Senior John Littlehale said, “Race in America is an issue that’s gotten a lot of publicity lately and it should get a lot of attention. But Jeremy [Griffin-Jackson’s] piece was special because the conversation being had was through dance … I found it awesome.”

Smith added, “True, his piece dealt with race, but it was very much from his perspective and his experience. I feel like that comes across from his words, but also in his choreography.”

Planning for the performance began prior to last summer. Auditions were held shortly after the second week of school and students met three times a week with their companies to rehearse.

Junior Sam Van Dyke also attended Sunday’s matinee. He said he was very impressed with the quality of the performance and could tell a lot of preparation was involved.

Having never attended before, Van Dyke was unsure of what to expect.

“It was very professional,” he said. “Clearly, there were a lot of talented performers but it was how they were able to work together in a team-like way that made it so engaging.”

Economic Outlook conference held

By Tung Nguyen, Transcript Correspondent

International economies were dull and dry in the last decade and will be prolonged by Donald Trump in the next few years.

Ian Sheldon, a visiting professor from the Ohio State University, presented his thoughts to Ohio Wesleyan University students and faculty in the Benes room in Hamilton-Williams Campus Center Nov. 15.

“Things are getting better at a slow pace,” Sheldon said.

 

The U.S., along with Japan and the United Kingdom, will face minimal growths of less than 2 percent in 2017, predicted by the Sputnik News.

On the other hand, Sheldon showed that the economic growths among developing countries are positively forecasted. Both China and India, with the corresponding 6.2 percent and 7.5 percent economic growths, are the new world’s potential challengers.

“Besides, Brazil and Russia will bounce back from the long-term economic recession,” Sheldon said.

Mark Schweitzer, a speaker from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, agreed with Sheldon that on a large scale, the world economies will slightly improve.

However, both Sheldon and Schweitzer emphasized the downfall on the microeconomics scale. They predicted that the unemployment rates will be higher than the pre-crisis levels.

“The United Kingdom, especially after Brexit, will suffer signi cantly from the currency depreciation,” Sheldon said.

Along with the domestic struggles, the international trade system will also be affected by political changes.

“Trump will end the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and, as a result, pull down the economy’s growths of not only the United States, but also the other 10 members,” Schweitzer said.

Bob Gitter, an economics professor from OWU, said that by killing TPP, Trump will increase the unemployment rate and market prices.

Furthermore, Sheldon said that president-elect Trump will put a 35 percent tariff on Mexico and 45 percent tariff on China.

“No more cheap labors and no more cheap products,” Sheldon said. “With the economy’s recession, the United States’ citizens will be slightly in troubles.”

Bill Lafayette, another speaker from Regionomics Inc., showed that the central area of Ohio’s economy still remain stable in spite of the recession.

“The area’s population is gradually increasing and luckily, so is the employment rate,” he said.

Gitter said, “The world economies is facing significant changes but it is better than staying stagnate.”