TheTranscript – Page 30 – The Transcript

Sorority bats a thousand — almost

By: Abigale Lyon, Transcript correspondent

Kappa Alpha Theta raised over $900 at their seventh annual spring philanthropy event, KATs and BATs, on Sunday, April 19, in support of the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).

CASA is a network of 951 community-based programs that recruit, train and support citizen-volunteers in order to help the abused and neglected children in courtrooms and communities to the best of their abilities, according to CASA’s website.

CASA helps abused and neglected children get through the legal system. The kids that benefit from CASA often do not have a stable adult figure in their lives. So giving them one person that will work with them consistently is really beneficial for them, Theta’s service and philanthropy director, sophomore Emma Beale said.

Within the U.S., each day 1,900 children become victims of abuse or neglect, and four of them will die, according to CASA’s website.

“CASA has the power to save lives. Not directly, like pulling a kid out of a burning building, but still powerfully, saving them from abuse and neglect which can be life threatening,” Beale said.

CASA also directly impacts the lives of children who need it the most. It provides them with a guaranteed support system no matter where they go or what foster family they’re put with, junior Mira Singhal said.

“To me, it means that theses kids will have someone to motivate them to be better and reach higher heights, no matter their previous circumstances,” Singhal said. “It builds trust for these kids who are vulnerable and allows them to be themselves.”

“My favorite thing about CASA is the incredible impact that one volunteer has on a child’s life,” freshmen Dominique Garrett said. “To me, CASA means a child will be gaining their childhood back again.”

As the service and philanthropy director of Theta, Beale’s main job is putting on successful philanthropy events each semester that help raise money and awareness for CASA, yet she does not stop at just this.

“I hope to be a good resource to my sisters for finding opportunities for service and to always be on the look out for service opportunities to share with the house,” Beale said.

House of Peace and Justice hosts a musical bash

The House of Peace and Justice (P&J) hosted a night with live music from three bands last Friday.

WV White, Tom Ghoulie and Spaceman Spiff performed. Juniors Mark Chalmers and Sam Carpenter and senior Harris Schaeffer make up Tom Ghoulie.

“The goal was to have a good time and just jam like we normally do,” Carpenter said. “We just wanted to sound as good as possible and create a positive vibe for the crowd.”

The band also posted on the event Facebook page stating “The music is of the gnarliest degree, combining the beach bum house tones with a little bit of rock and roll and psychedelic surf.”

The Spaceman Spiff band members are sophomores James Ormerod, Jake Simpson, Evan Snapp and Kevin Rossi. They describe their music as “channeling the energy of the universe into our music, [projecting] a funk-your-face-off kind of style into the open ears of today’s youth.”

WV White features Tyler Travis, an OWU alum, and Alfie Cicone, John C. Fisher and Tayler Beck. Their music is described as “Midwestern existentialism and sonic surrealism. Suburban ennui turned up all the way. Flora and fauna undisturbed.”

During the concert, the scene was set with low lighting, a laid-back crowd and projected videos on the ceiling of various random scenes. The concert was also intended to be a food drive for the Delaware Country Food Pantry. Students were asked to either donate non-perishable food items or donate food points.

*Free t-shirt not included

Musical comedy has students laughing

By: Liz Hardaway, Transcript correspondent

Sophomore Reggie Hemphill and Senior Luke Scaros, both portraying police officers, rehearse a musical number for the show. Photo courtesy of Alanna Easley.

There is nothing dry about “Urinetown: the Musical,” the self-aware and witty comedy that opened at Chappelear Drama Center on April 17.

“Urinetown: the Musical,” written by Greg Kotis, explores corporate control and environmental concerns with a comical, modern-day Romeo and Juliet love story.

Directed by professor of theatre Ed Kahn, the musical took place in a fictional town with a water conservation problem. Urine Good Company, a monopoly, allowed the townspeople to do their business in public restrooms with a price.

However, Bobby Strong, played by freshman TJ Galamba, along with others couldn’t afford to pay as described in the wonderful “Privilege to Pee” sung by senior Brianna J. Robinson.

A corrupt Senator Fipp, played by junior Christian Sanford, and power-hungry CEO Caldwell B. Cladwell, played by senior Ryan Haddad, work together to raise the fee to pee.

Freshman TJ Galamba rehearses as Bobby Strong. Photo courtesy of Alanna Easley.

After meeting Hope, Strong’s overly optimistic love interest and daughter of the evil Cladwell, played by senior Grace Thompson, he decided to follow his heart and lead the lower-class citizens to fight for freedom.

Ohio Wesleyan’s theater, music and dance departments did justice to the self-referential musical, with clever commentary from a sassy narrator, Officer Lockstock, played by sophomore Reginald Hemphill, and an innocent rebel, Little Sally, played by junior Sarah Shulman.

The vocals of the performance were exceptional, with soulful melodies from Robinson and a deep bass from Hemphill. Thompson’s voice even mirrored Hope’s merry personality, with luminous ballads evoking the innocence of a Disney Princess; birds were about to fly onto her fingertips.

The audience could not forget they were watching a musical with the overly obvious special effects and a narrator reminding over-eager characters to not reveal any spoilers. As the plot thickened, the sarcasm of the musical always provided comic relief.

“It’s humorous, it’s very self-aware and makes fun of the conventions of musicals while also utilizing them,” said followspot operator, senior Emma Buening.

Organization was a key component within the play, with the cast and crew working since after spring break. Ensembles were choreographed to the last step, and the lights and sound programmed to each second. The collaboration and hard work that went into the designs for the set, costumes, props and every other condition for the performance were undeniably impeccable.

Though entertaining, the musical did tackle social issues such as corporate greed and excess resource consumption. With many green programs being implemented on campus, it is no wonder Kahn chose a tale of a monopolized dystopia plagued with draught and gluttony.

“Urinetown’ provided a witty and informative take on the importance of water conservation,” said freshman Evelynn Wyatt.

Not the typical story, “Urinetown: the Musical” encouraged the audience to find its balance between realism and idealism to handle obstacles.

“Ironically, it is the show’s ‘villain’ who poses the important question, ‘But what of tomorrow?’ Perhaps there are lessons to be learned from both sides, as we strive to follow our hearts,” Kahn said.

Investment club provides learning experience

By: DJ Fradkin, Transcript correspondent

Ohio Wesleyan University offers an investment club, allowing students to explore the world of investing and finance by participating in the stock market with no real fear of loss.

The Investment Club is a student managed investment fund comprised currently of 18 equities that are traded on the New York Stock Exchange, said sophomore Graham Littlehale, president of the Investment Club.

The club was founded to expose students who wish to learn more about investing in the stock market. The club provides an opportunity for students to receive investment experience without risking their own money, Littlehale said.

“I have learned enough that I feel as though I could start my own stock portfolio,” Littlehale said. “I would say that anyone who is an active member for a year and has a basic understanding of accounting, should be able to start their own portfolio.”

OWU received a one-time $50,000 grant in 1998 from Jim Oelschlager, founder and chairman of Oaks Associates, designated for students to gain real life experience in trading stocks. The university receives five percent of the portfolio at the end of each calendar year, according to the Ohio Wesleyan Investment Club.

Generally, the club meets or exceeds the investing benchmark. One problem that occurred a few years ago was due to holding a large position in cash. The club did not invest their cash soon enough when market went up, Barbara MacLeod, professor of management, said.

“This year we did very well; we happened to own Kraft when the announcement of a merger came out. That day the stock went up 35 percent,” MacLeod said. “Sometimes you just win, sometimes you lose.”

“The numbers have been increasing and the sophistication of the discussion has really improved,” MacLeod said. “I don’t want the club to lose money, but I let the students make decisions that I might not make in order to further their education, and this has done very well at that goal.”

To encourage students to become more involved in the organization, or just for educational purposes, professor MacLeod also offers a quarter credit course in the fall called Investment Practicum. It provides students with the skills to analyze equities, MacLeod said.

While there are no formal requirements for joining the club, background knowledge is helpful. The organization currently meets Tuesdays from 4:10-5:00 p.m. in the Corns Building. The club president runs almost all of the meetings, but other members are encouraged to assist, Littlehale said.

“Some people, as in life, are more verbal than others, so we are a safe place for people who do not have a background in investing,” MacLeod said. “We meet in the Corns computer lab so we can all be looking up information and answering questions.”

Students generally attend more meetings in the fall, when around 20 members usually participate. However, the spring semester usually sees anywhere between 10 to 15 students. Students also tend to fall off at the end of the semester, MacLeod said.

“Instituted this last year, students have to attend two club meetings before they are allowed to vote, so there are more educated voters to determine whether we should buy or sell a stock,” Macleod said.

*Free t-shirt not included

Men’s golf gets third in tournament, looks ahead

By: Matthew Moore, Transcript correspondent

The Ohio Wesleyan men’s varsity golf team hosted the two-day Strimer tournament on their home turf April 4, but were unable to pull out the win.

This year’s Strimer tournament at Oakhaven Golf Club yielded some success but was ultimately bittersweet for the team. “We came in third out of eight teams, but we lost to Denison by one shot which was frustrating,” said Zach Shahrokhi a freshman on the team.

One of the captains of the team, senior Kaneat Nimcharoenwan, had success in the individual component of the tournament. “He had been playing well up to that point, and for him to finish second place overall, he will have increased confidence going forward. Something we need not just out of him, but out of everyone,” said junior Ben Thieman.

Preparation was a key component to the success at the Strimer.

“We have been playing a lot of golf this spring to get prepared for the season,” Shahrokhi said. “We have also been working hard to improve our short games because that is one of the keys to being able to play at the collegiate level.”

Golf is traditionally an individual’s sport but in the collegiate arena it is a team sport. This makes tournaments for a player higher stakes. “It is cool because you rely on your teammates to play well and you get to be part of a tight team, but the downside is that you cannot hide your skills,” said Shahrokhi. “Every bad hole hurts yourself and your team. Luckily our team has great chemistry and we all get along very well.”

The team feels that they have the ability to win and have proven their grit this school year. “Our biggest accomplishment was winning a tournament up in Plum Brook near Cleveland,” Thieman said.

As the school year comes to an end the team takes their gained momentum and sets their sights on the conference title. “I have high hopes for the rest of the season,” Shahrokhi said. ”I believe we have improved in skill and as a team over the season, and I believe we have a good chance to finish well in the conference tournament.”

App aims at college life

By: Charlie Kottler, Transcript correspondent

A new social media live streaming app is shaking up college campuses by allowing viewers to interact with live campus events like never before.

Twitter’s new live streaming companion app was launched this week. Twitter bought Periscope in January, but just released information about the new acquisition on March 26.

Periscope is going to be in direct competition with Meerkat, another popular live streaming app. Meerkat has only been on the iPhone App store since Feb. 27.

There are several colleges considering using Periscope to stream different types of campus events. Duke University has announced that it will be streaming its 2015 commencement via the app, in addition to its normal online stream.

“The addition of livestreaming video apps just adds another element to how we coordinate and coach students in the community here,” said Cara Rousseau, manager of digital and social media strategy at Duke University.

Unlike previous live audio and video broadcasting apps, Periscope has a very strong social media component. The app allows participants to share comments regarding the broadcast and chat others who are viewing the same stream.

Periscope has one particular advantage that makes it better than Meerkat, said sophomore Shashank Sharma, director of public relations for both Delta Tau Delta fraternity and Horizons International. This advantage is that Periscope saves broadcasts on the app for 24 hours, while Meerkat only allows broadcasts to be seen until they are over. Therefore, those that were unavailable to watch the live stream live still have the opportunity to watch.

“Campus events, meetings, and athletic competitions could be shown on this free app. This would allow others to experience OWU in a whole new way,” Sharma said.

Brian Rellinger, chief information officer at Ohio Wesleyan, shares a similar sentiment.

Rellinger said OWU currently utilizes StreamOWU to share video of selected events. He said that although StreamOWU covers almost all athletic events, they provide streams for only a small percentage of lectures and campus activities. He said using Periscope would increase viewership, as people outside the OWU community would become more likely to watch events via Periscope.

In addition, Rellinger thinks Periscope could enhance study-abroad programs for those who are participating and those students who are still on campus.

“I think it would be neat to have students on travel learning programs use the app to allow students on the OWU campus to have a glimpse into their experience,” Rellinger said.

Trattoria chef has hidden talent

By: Houston Smith, Transcript correspondent

Jeff Eden. Photo courtesy of LinkedIn.com.

He is a self-employed tattoo artist who can make a standard, no topping pizza in less than two minutes, and he hasn’t seen his chin in 10 years.

Jeff Eden, Ohio Wesleyan class of 2011, was born and raised in Rhode Island, and moved to Ohio in 2006. He attended OWU for five years, and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in drawing.

He’s grown a beard for about 10 years, and few people at Ohio Wesleyan have seen him without one. Sometimes it is long enough to braid, but he often trims to keep it neat.

Eden is a food service supervisor at Ohio Wesleyan, and has worked in the kitchen for almost nine years. He works in Smith Dining Hall most days, and is an important part of Trattoria Pizza, located in the kitchen of Smith.

Trattoria is the only kitchen open from 8:00 p.m. to midnight every day of the week. The phone rings constantly with students’ orders. Eden and his team work non-stop to complete orders sometimes with three or four items. They feed hundreds of students.

“On Sundays we usually make between 70-100 orders,” said senior Noelle Davis, an employee at Trattoria.

Eden wanted to become a tattoo artist since high school, and he used to practice drawing on friends. He completed an apprenticeship under his mentor Tony Kuntz to get his tattooing and piercing certification for Ohio.

“Tony was pretty much like a big brother, an all-around cool guy, and very personable,” Eden said.

After his apprenticeship, Eden was employed as a tattoo artist. He created original designs and applied tattoos under the supervision of Kuntz. Now he is self-employed, and maintains a safe practice.

“I’ve been tattooing professionally for about four years,” Eden said.

Eden recently covered up a tattoo on his aunt done by Steve Tefft, the season two winner of a popular TV show called Ink Masters.

“She wasn’t happy about the tattoo, and it was around 20 years old, so I covered it up with a piece of my own,” Eden said.

His ultimate goal is to move to New York City and pursue his passion for art.

Housing regulations change, reflect other campuses

By: Ashley Day, Transcript correspondent

With the desire to attract and recruit more students from local areas, Ohio Wesleyan University recently made a change to its residency requirement, which will take effect in fall 2015, director of residential life Wendy Piper said.

The original policy, put in place for the fall semester of 2011, stated students could commute if they resided with their parents or guardians as long as their permanent home address was within Delaware County, Piper said.

According to the new residential requirement, now full-time enrolled students who want to commute must reside with their parents or legal guardians at their primary place of residence, which must be within 30-mile range of campus, assistant director of residential life Meredith Dixon said.

Students wanting to live off-campus but not with their parents or guardians must qualify for an exemption under the other parts of the residency requirement—23 or older, fifth year senior, married, caring for a dependent child or for medical reasons. Students who meet the other requirements can choose to be released off-campus and live wherever they choose, Piper said.

Although the new residential requirement will allow more students to commute, the Residential Life (ResLife) staff members believe students should choose to live in campus housing in order to be more involved with the university, Piper said.

“The ResLife staff wants to reiterate what the nature of our residential community and the importance of students being fully involved in what Ohio Wesleyan University has to offer by residing on-campus,” Piper said.

The residential requirement allows a greater range of students who can commute, but it is not expected to affect number of admissions into OWU, Director of Admissions Alisha Couch said.

“I don’t expect large changes from the revision of this policy,” Couch said. “This year we have six to eight prospective freshman that live outside of Delaware County, yet are within the 30-mile radius that are interested in possibly commuting.”

The change in policy allows OWU to be more competitive with other colleges in the area, as most already have the 30-mile radius rule in place, which give them the opportunity to bring in more local students, Couch said.

“In the past, a student may have ruled out OWU simply because they couldn’t live at home,” Couch said. “This change makes OWU an option for more students.”