New head field hockey coach Hannah Allison. Photo: battlingbishops.com
By Philippe Chauveau
Transcript Reporter
The Ohio Wesleyan field hockey team is under new management, so to speak.
Former head coach Marge Redmond stepped down, allowing for Hannah Allison, her assistant coach last season, to take over the position.
As Interim Head Coach, Allison will have former head coach Marge Redmond as her assistant coach.
âI want to be known as the team that never gives up,â Allison said. âIf the girls give me 100 percent effort during practice, it will carry into the game.â
Allison said could not hide her surprise at receiving such a special chance.
âI got called into the athletic directorâs office and I was really nervous, I didnât know what it was about,â she said. âI couldnât say no when they offered me the position, it is such an amazing opportunity.â
Sophomore defender Lee LeBoeuf said she was not at all surprised to see Allison placed in the head coach position.
âShe is more than qualified to be our head coach and has already done an excellent job this preseason,â LeBouef said.
âHannah was able to recruit hard and bring an incredible incoming freshman class.â
While most people might find a switch between coaching positions strange, LeBoeuf said the players believe it was a great decision.
âIt was good that we were able to have Hannah as an assistant for a season, it made the change less radical,â LeBoeuf said.
âPlus, Marge will be working on a new position that she is very passionate about, yet we still get to see her everyday. Itâs a win-win situation.â
Redmond will now serve as OWUâs senior woman administrator, alongside her new position as assistant coach for the Bishopsâ Field Hockey team.
With more freshmen intending to major or minor in theater than in past years at Ohio Wesleyan University, the October production of William Shakespeareâs âThe Merchant of Veniceâ will feature a host of new faces.
One of these new faces will be Zoë Rosenthal, a freshman intending to minor in theater, who said she most enjoys the technical side of theater.
âI did props and set design in high school and loved it,â Rosenthal said. âI get stage fright so I like to be backstage and out of the limelight.â
Rosenthal said her favorite play is Shakespeareâs âA Midsummer Nightâs Dream,â but she likes modern musicals as well.
Freshman Matthew Pheneger said he intends to major in theater, and prefers acting over all other aspects of theater because âitâs the most fun.â
Among his favorite plays are Shakespeareâs âThe Tempest,â the musical âThoroughly Modern Millieâ by Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan and âThe Importance of Being Earnestâ by Oscar Wilde. He said he does not have a preference between older plays and more modern productions.
Pheneger said he likes that OWUâs theatre and dance department is small compared to other schools because âhaving like sixty kids per class is counterproductive.â
OWUâs production of âThe Merchant of Veniceââdirected by Elane Denny-Toddâwill be performed Oct. 8, 9, 10, and 11 at 8 p.m. and Oct. 12 at 2 p.m. Admission will be $5 for faculty and staff, $10 for the general public and free for OWU students with a valid ID.
According to the departmentâs website, âThe Merchant of Veniceâ is a âclassic comedy of loyalty, love, greed, disguise and justiceâ that takes place in a âmoney-mad world where no one is truly innocent.â
 This summer the world will stop for the FIFA World Cup, hosted in Brazil for the first time since 1950. As a Brazilian native, I can honestly say that I have dreamt of this moment. Yet, now that it is upon us, I canât help but wish FIFA had selected another nation to host the most prestigious competition in soccer.
Brazilâs social balance is falling apart. The media has failed to show just how negative the World Cup has been for Brazil. Since the competition was awarded to Brazil in 2007, government corruption has gone through the roof.
Expenditures for every stadium have gone above original estimates, and billions of public funds allocated for stadium construction have gone into politiciansâ pockets. As a result, all stadiums are behind schedule and will barely be ready for competition. The other changes promised by the government, such as new subway stations, new highways and better and bigger airports, are all so far behind that they wonât be ready until after the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
For those of you expecting to see the so-called country of soccer rejoicing as it hosts the World Cup, think again.
There will be protests, as evidenced during the Confederations Cup that occurred in Brazil last year. Millions of protestors took to the streets, revolting against the billions spent on stadiums that could have gone towards hospitals, schools or infrastructure, all of which are deficient. Brazil is not ready for the World Cup, but regardless, the competition will begin as scheduled on June 13.
With that being said, viewers should also not expect to see only protestors and anger. The World Cup is a celebration, and Brazil is a country that loves celebrations.
Look for a young Brazilian national team, striving to prove themselves at home, led by 21-year-old forward Neymar. Perhaps the biggest story of the competition is how the youthful Brazilian squad will react to playing in the greatest stage of world soccer.
Although playing at home could be a great advantage for the Brazilians, the pressure is on: anything short of a tournament victory will be seen as a failure. Brazilian fans get impatient extremely quickly, so in any game where the team is struggling, you may hear some boos from the crowd.
Brazil drew a spot in a very manageable competition group featuring Cameroon, Mexico, and Croatia. Yet, any slip up in the group stage could lead to a duel with current World Cup champions Spain in the first round of knockouts, something every Brazilian and Spaniard would prefer to avoid.
Other teams to watch for are the usual favorites. The all-powerful Germans, with arguably the best team on paper coming into the competition. The Italians, who always play defensively and rely on a great striker to get the wins, have Mario Balotelli up top for Italy this year, one of the worldâs most polemic yet talented players. Other teams and players to watch for include Lionel Messi and the Argentinians, who are ready to win the cup on their biggest rivalâs soil. Cristiano Ronaldo, the highest-paid â and best, as FIFA voted last January â player in the world, and the current best player in the world (as elected by FIFA last January), will try to bring his home country of Portugal into the fold.
The World Cup will be filled with excitement. Besides the great stories that unfold on the field, the lack of preparedness will certainly add a degree of tragic humor. We all saw how athletes and journalists alike reacted to Sochiâs installations, and it wonât be surprising if similar stories come out of Brazil this summer.
The field renovations will add the new OWU Athletics logo to the center of the field. Photo: OWU Athletics
By Nicolas Palandjian Transcript Correspondent
Ohio Wesleyan University received a donation from alumni in order to build a new turf field at Selby Stadium.
Selby Stadium, home to the Battling Bishops and the Ohio Machine, a Major League Lacrosse Team, was built in 1929.
The current turf has been a problem for many athletes at OWU, causing injuries in the past few years, according to Todd Miller, head athletic trainer.
âI tore my ACL in my knee twice, both in the same spot on the field,â said Edwin Foster, junior lacrosse player.
âItâs the random wrinkles and divots that are causing all the athletes to tear ligaments and pull hamstrings.â
The football team has also had several problems with the current turf surface, according to several players.
âThere have been multiple injuries on the football team this year, including myself when I tore my meniscus,â said Mason Tomblin, freshman football player.
âNew turf was supposed to have been installed over the Christmas break, but the harsh conditions kept construction from going on,â said Kyle Yberg, defensive coach of the lacrosse team.
It is known within the sports world that turf becomes less playable with harsh weather conditions and age, according to the New York Department of Health.
âThe alumni who are donating have decided that it is a necessity that the school has new turf and they have made sure their money is going toward a new turf surface,â Yberg said.
The design of the field shows black end zones with the word âBishopsâ in red letters. Menâs lacrosse lines will be yellow and womenâs lacrosse lines will be orange, according to pictures on the OWU athletics website.
âAll the athletes, including myself, are excited about the new turf for safety reasons, but also for the design,â Yberg said.
The field will be installed before the beginning of next year, giving every team full use of it, said the athletics website.
Senior Karli Amstadt models Google Glass while on a mission trip to South Dakota over spring break. Photo by Noah Manskar
By Brian Williams and Brianna Velliquette Transcript Reporter and Transcript Correspondent
Project Glass, Googleâs newest venture in wearable technology, has come to Ohio Wesleyan.
Information Services has purchased a pair of Google Glass, and is looking forward to discovering how it can best be used on campus.
Google Glass, known simply as Glass, is a new product still in the phase of beta testing.
The company has launched an âExplorer Programâ and if successful, hopes to release Glass to the general public.
Glass is a pair of glasses frames. On the right side is where the technology lies, with a small camera and heads up display (HUD), which can be seen by glancing up and to the right.
Once activated by the voice command âOkay glassâ or by tapping the side, any of Glassâs functions are made available.
Users can do things such as take a picture, find directions, send a message, or browse the web.
Each function appears as an app, much like a Smartphone, and developers are constantly adding more apps that can be used with Glass.
Glass has Bluetooth connectivity, which allows one to pair with a Smartphoneâs contacts for calls, messages, and data for on-the-go Glass experience.
âThis is a completely new form factor, I think that we have a great opportunity for experimenting with ways OWU can benefit from it,â sophomore Matt McCord said.
Beta testing of the product has allowed Google to work out the early bugs from this new technology, as well as welcome the creativity of others in finding applications for its use.
McCord, an employee of IS and member of the campus technology council, touched on the current exclusivity of Glass ownership.
âIt isnât something that, if lost or broken, we can just get a new one,â he said.
âThe university had to pay over $1,000 to own it and the application process wasnât simple. We truly have our hands on a rare piece of forward thinking technology, and personally Iâm excited to get my hands on them.â
IS has already come up with ways in which we can use Glass, and is welcoming the entire OWU community in sharing their ideas.
âA professor can film an experiment using Glass and give the first person perspective on exactly what to do,â instructional technologist David Soliday said.
âOr our externship and travel-learning course students can share what they are doing, while leaving them completely hands free. Down the line, tours can be filmed, both for those who canât visit in person, but also to enhance the experience of visitors on campus through this overlapping augmented reality. The possibilities are limitless, which is the most exciting part.â
So far, not too many people have been able to check them out, as the product is still new to campus. Soliday cited an increase of awareness as one of the first steps to getting the most out of Glass.
âI was able to take Glass to WCSAâs full body meeting and loved sharing my experience to help build interest,â Dean of Students, Kimberlie Goldsberry said. The dean gave positive reviews about her Glass experience, saying there was a sense of energetic surprise and curiosity received by those around her.
âTraining took only about a half hour and hearing the possibilities for use that students immediately came up with was really encouraging,â she said.
Soliday also pointed out that there still are some bugs Google is working to fix. Connecting to wifi networks with an extra authentication via website such as BishopNet is currently not supported, so in order to surf the web you must be tethered to a Smartphoneâs data connection.
According to Googleâs support page, they are working on fixing issues such as this and are releasing new software to improve the user experience.
âYou can get a bit cross eyed after wearing them for too long, and they donât easily fit over another pair of glasses.â Goldsberry said.
According to Soliday, Google is working to pair with optometrists to make prescription lenses, which will hopefully alleviate that concern.
Since they are so new, McCord keyed in on the fact that everyone is still learning.
âFrom the multi-tasker who can have an easier time doing research, to someone wanting easy to follow directions and so on, it is the unknown potential of this new form that makes Glass exciting,â he said.
Glass isnât all glory, however, and has raised concerns about the fit of the glasses as well as inspired discussions about privacy.
Librarian Ben Daigle said when he put the glasses on, he had trouble using them as actual glasses.
âIf Iâm looking at a sign 30 feet away, I canât read it without my glasses,â he said. âThe image in the machine is blurry just as something would be at a distance. But it wasnât terribly difficult to figure out.â
Brian Rellinger, Information Servicesâ chief information officer, explained that Glass inherently raises privacy issues.
âWhen we first got them, some people react as if itâs an invasion of privacy immediately,â Rellinger said.
Soliday gave more perspective on the concern, explaining that because Glass is so subtle, it makes it difficult for people to realize they are being recorded.
âGlass has no âOn Airâ light,â Soliday said. âPeople like to know when theyâre being recorded.â
As the technology is still in the beta phases, Google is willing to come up with solutions to problems beta users come across.
Despite the negatives, Rellinger said Google Glass has been received more positively on campus than initially thought.
âWhen weâre walking around using them, students approach us and say âOh thatâs cool, can I try them on? Can I see how that works?ââ Rellinger said.
Sophomore Brittany Spicer attempts to limbo wearing drunk goggles while juniors Jessica Scherry (left) and Lauren Rump hold the stick. Photo by jane Suttmeier
By Megan Dill and Marta Del Cid Transcript Reporter and Transcript Correspondent
1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, a statistic recorded by The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
âMore than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem,â according to statistics provided by the National Institute of Health.
â…Between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of students indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use,â
April is recognized as Alcohol Awareness Month, and this year Ohio Wesleyan Universityâs Kappa Alpha Theta (Theta) devoted a week to bringing awareness to the prevalent misuse of alcohol on college campuses.
âWe know by being a Greek organization there are a lot of negative stereotypes about drinking,â said junior Jordan Bernstein, president of Theta.
âWe wanted to show that alcohol is not needed to have fun, which is why we kicked off the week with a âdryâ formal.â
Theta partnered with three different organizations on campus: Kappa Kappa Gamma, the womenâs rugby team, and Delta Zeta.
All of the events took place during the noon hour.
Junior Jennifer Lloyd, a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma (Kappa), said she believes alcohol awareness week was a great idea and felt it was an issue that needed to be addressed on campus.
âAlcohol misuse is prevalent on this campus, as on most campuses, so it is important to be aware,â she said.
âAlso, I really liked that Theta partnered with many other campus organizations to put on events this week.â
Activities involved giving cookies with alcohol-related facts, education on Kappaâs Kidney camp, drunk goggles, Jeopardy with the womenâs rugby team and a banner pledging to make good choices, co-sponsored by Delta Zeta.
Kappaâs annual philanthropy event supports Kappa Kidney camp and, since kidney failure can be caused by alcohol abuse, they considered it appropriate to partner with Theta.
The Rugby team intended to show that the members of the team want their peers to be safe around alcohol.
Delta Zeta collaborated with Theta because their sorority takes a stance against alcohol misuse nationally.
Bernstein said the pledge signing was her favorite activity.
âIt was really great to see so many different people come up and take the pledge,â she said.
âWe had a lot of fun putting on the events each day and they all went smoothly,â Bernstein added.
âI believe that sometimes people forget the risks and if our event can make one person pause before they make that not so safe decision, then we were successful.â
Lloyd said she believes this event should be continued, as long as alcohol misuse persists as an issue on campus.
On April 14, the faculty dining room in Hamilton-Williams Campus Center was filled with people, including a large number of freshmen, eager to discuss and learn more about transgender issues.
Seniors Skylar Drake and Nora Anderson held another Trans-ition Your Outlook event, as the previously first one conflicted with other campus events.
At the start of the meeting, Drake and Anderson addressed three terms: cis, trans and non-binary. The word âtransâ commonly means across from one another, while âcisâ is the opposite of trans. A ânon-binaryâ individual is someone who does not identify as male or female. Commonly, transgender and non-binary are used interchangeably.
Drake explained that she and Anderson were âcisâ women who wished to shed light on the issue of non-binary individuals on the OWU campus.
âI am a cis woman who does not know enough about transgender issues,â Drake said. âI have seen how my friends who are transgender are affected when people do not know their preferred pronoun usage.
Anderson explained the correct pronoun usage is he, she, or they for any person. One must refer to another individual with the pronoun he, she, or they choose.
Ashley Biser, politics and government professor and chair of the Committee on Women and Gender, attended the event. Biser said Ohio Wesleyanâs current integration of the issue is âsporadic.â
âThere are many people who are very supportive, there are many people who donât know a lot, there are many people who would like to learn and there are some people who are sort of oblivious to this issue,â she said.
Junior Liz Dickson said they attended the event because âit is personally really relevant to me.â
âI identify as genderqueer and I am constantly misgendered in and outside of the classroom on this campus,â Dickson said.
Dickson transferred to OWU from another institution partially because their previous university had no gender-inclusive housing.
The issue of OWUâs lack of all-gender housing and gender-neutral bathrooms was brought up in the discussion.
Regarding OWUâs first steps toward more gender inclusivity, Dickson said, âFor me, preferred gender pronouns are a serious issue.â Something they plan on working on next semester is starting the conversation with faculty on the importance of preferred pronouns.
Dickson said they are misgendered often.
âBecause I present as more feminine but my identity is genderqueer and I have gender neutral pronouns, people donât ask me and that is actually really frustrating,â Dickson said.
Dickson brought up in the discussion that a personâs gender presentation may not match up with their gender identity because of the discrimination they experience.
âI am a transgender individual and I would prefer to go by they, their and theirs,â Dickson said. âIf you do not know what someone prefers to be called, or if you cannot tell what gender someone is, just ask them.â
Dickson said the issue applies to OWU for multiple reasons.
âEvery black issue is a transgender issue, every class issue is a transgender issue, every issue (regarding) disabled students is a transgender issue becauseâŠall of the different ways our identities intersect, there are actually so many issues on this campus it becomes,â they said.
The event had only a few faculty members in attendance, which raised the question: are these issues the faculty are discussing?
Biser said it is a part of the Committee on Women and Genderâs discussion but it is not necessarily something that faculty in general talking about, although she thinks there is an interest in being more inclusive.
âWe talk about women, we talk about gender, but we are still learning how best to talk about transgender issues and how best to make sure that all students feel welcome on this campus,â Biser said.
Drake said she was pleased with the turnout, but she and Anderson hoped more faculty members would have attended.
â(We) hoped that more faculty would come, but were we to plan this event again I think we would individually invite more faculty to insure that professors knew the event was going on.â
Dickson was displeased with the faculty turnout.
âI was actually kind of angry that there were no womenâs and gender studies, sociology or psychology professors there because it was sponsored by the sociology department,â they said.
Drake said she has no plans to personally organize similar events, as she is graduating this spring.
âI hope someone else will,â she said. âI think our student community is excited and willing to pursue these issues further.â
In regards to the non-binary turnout, Anderson said the pair was happy the discussion included trans and non-binary perspectives.
âOne of the problems that Skylar and I discussed was us, as cis women, leading a discussion about an issue we have the privilege to not be affected by,â Anderson said.
âThis is rightly led by trans and non-binary individuals, and Iâm glad they were there to lend their voices.â
Dickson agreed, but emphasized the importance to persist with the issue.
âIt was a good discussionâ Dickson said, âI think we have a long way to go.â
âAll trash rooms will be LOCKED May 5,â said a recent email from a resident assistant.
The news was received with quite a grudging feeling. Life at Ohio Wesleyan has increasingly become harder. To paint a picture: imagine a place where fire alarm is set off at midnight, at 4 a.m. and at noon; a place where food stored in community fridges and clothes in laundry rooms are stolen; a place where being loud, getting drunk, smoking, selling weed and other activities can be observed.
Then there comes this rule â trash rooms will be locked on the Monday of finals week.
Up to now, the benefits, if any, of living on campus are overwhelmed by these disadvantages. Call them annoyances. Consider yourself a customer who is required to pay much more, and then receive these annoyances. Now a strong feeling of injustice creeps in.
Let us get back to the recently announced rule. The content itself is not much a problem; rather, the way it is implemented is quite unsettling. On what basis was it proposed? Would it be better for the whole community, or would it just cause more burdens? Would it be practical â consider when the trash rooms are closed, and trash starts accumulating in front of their doors, or in the hallways, or in other public places?
Unless there is a very clear basis for the rule, recommending it, instead of immediately implementing it, will make it much better received.
On the overall, many things need to change. Otherwise, years from now, OWU may expect little donation from some of its alumni.
Jaques Fraqua, a street artist and social justice advocate, poses next to one of his pieces in New York City. Photo from lichiban.com
By Catie Beach Transcript Correspondent
Graffiti artist and indigenous rights activist Jaque Fragua came to Ohio Wesleyan last Tuesday evening to share how he paints the streets in an attempt to spark political change.
âJaque Fragua: Public Art and the Indigenous Sovereignty Movementâ was a part of Citizens of the World (COW) Houseâs annual programming series âCelebrating Our World Week,â in honor of on-campus and global diversity.
The lecture, held in the Benes Rooms, was one of several diversity-themed events, including the screening of âBlack Gold,â a film about fair trade coffee, t-shirt decorating on the JayWalk and an âaround the worldâ picnic.
COW Houseâs moderator, senior Ashley Maderas, got the idea to bring Fragua to campus when watching a TED Talk featuring photojournalist Aaron Huey.
His case study of the U.S. governmentâs devastating violations of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty inspired him to organize Native artists, advocacy groups and allies to start the art-advocacy organization Honor the Treaties, of which Fragua is a member.
An Artistâs Inspiration
A Jemez Pueblo hailing from New Mexico, Fraguaâs artwork speaks about human rights abuses occurring on reservation lands, as well as the historic exploitation of his peopleâs culture.
âWhen one is oppressed, you naturally start pulling apart the layers to see whatâs wrong,â Fragua said in his lecture. âWhen you get to the core you see itâs systematic.â
Some of his vibrant murals are abstract in subject matter, and reflect his voice as a Native artist working to reclaim ancient symbology, stolen and exploited by outside cultures for commercial use.
Other murals raise awareness of the systematic marginalization of Native peoples living on reservations. He references the increased abuse of Native women, mass shortage of clean water and government exploitation of sacred lands.
Maderas hopes her peers recognize the dual responsibility of celebrating diversity through Fraguaâs message.
âI donât just want people to celebrate the differences of Jaqueâs culture,â she said.
âI want people to get angry. I want people to realize that there are some groups we donât talk about. Some people donât recognize that the government is at fault.â
The mission of âCelebrating Our World Weekâ urges students to simultaneously celebrate cultural differences, and support those trying to reconcile inequality. Fraguaâs work and philosophy exemplify his mission.
âIn Pueblo culture, balance is at the core of everything,â he said. âItâs about the dichotomy. I see art that way. I see life that way.â
