Author: TheTranscript

CPB hosts fifth annual A Cappellooza

By Reilly Wright, Photo Editor 

“Carry On Wayward Son” did not need an electric guitar for a memorable solo at the fifth annual voices-only A Cappellooza concert on Saturday, Nov. 4, in Ohio Wesleyan’s Gray Chapel.

Featuring classic rock from Queen to Guns N’ Roses, student a cappella groups from OWU and Wittenberg University as well as the headliner, The Filharmonic, performed.

The Filharmonic, an a cappella group that made NBC’s “The Sing-Off” semi-finals and appeared in the 2015 comedy film “Pitch Perfect 2,” wrapped up the concert. The five-person group has also performed on “The Late Late Show” with James Corden with stars such as Anna Kendrick and Ansel Elgort.

“The Filharmonic was a fantastic group to work with,” said Katy Tuggle, the marketing director of the Campus Programming Board, the OWU student group that organized the event. “In addition to their amazing performance, the group was extremely friendly and full of energy from the moment they arrived on campus.”

After their performance, The Filharmonic members sold merchandise, held a meet-and-greet and had photos with audience members.

“[The Filharmonic] supported our student groups by watching their performances, which I thought was absolutely wonderful,” Tuggle said. “Their participation in the meet-and-greet was also well received and very much appreciated by attendees.”

The student a cappella groups that performed included OWU’s OWtsiders, the JAYwalkers and Pitch Black as well as Wittenberg’s Just Eve and The Wittmen Crew. This is the first year CPB had a cappella groups submit a video of their songs as part of their application to A Cappellooza.

“A Cappellooza has helped Pitch Black prepare for competition,” said Nani Raass, the music director of the all-women group Pitch Black. “We have competed in the past against other colleges and we placed in the top ten last year in our division. Performing in front of a large audience helps our new members, especially with how to handle stage fright.”

With tickets sold to the OWU, Wittenberg and Delaware community, Tuggle said 620 tickets in total were sold, but estimated 750 people were in attendance.

“I would always love to see the continued support from the OWU community and hear feedback on student perspectives of A Cappellooza, including theme ideas for the upcoming years,” Tuggle said.

PRIDE hosts 14th annual PRIDE prom

By Nicole Popovich, Transcript Correspondent

Ohio Wesleyan University’s Pride Week ends with the 14th annual PRIDE prom.

PRIDE prom is on Nov. 10, in Benes rooms B and C from 8:30-11:30 p.m. The event is free for everyone on campus, not just the members of PRIDE.

Free snacks and drinks will be provided for those in attendance. 

“I can’t wait to go to PRIDE prom to see what it is about and meet some of the members who are a part of the club,” said sophomore Kami Stoflinsky. “I have heard a lot about it.”

PRIDE prom is organized by the People Regarding Individual Diversity Everywhere (PRIDE) executive board each year, but the board is adding something different.

“This year we have invited our general members to help out with things like setting up, decorating and suggesting songs,” said sophomore Capri Pappas.

PRIDE’s executive board consists of Pappas, president of PRIDE; sophomore Jasen Klingaman, vice president; sophomore Kait Aromy, PR chair; and sophomore Madison Vasel, treasurer.

“We currently have about 100 students on our mailing list, and each week, PRIDE sees anywhere between 25 and 30 recurring members,” Klingaman said.

PRIDE prom has been hosted on campus every year since the club started in 2004, according to Aromy.

“PRIDE prom isn’t the kind of prom that would have a theme like ‘under the sea’ or anything like that,” Aromy said. “It’s just about being true to yourself and having a good time.”

According to the description on PRIDE’s website, “PRIDE is an organization dedicated to the fair treatment of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, questioning, queer, intersex, asexual persons.”

PRIDE club is open to all students regardless of sexual orientation, race, ethnicity and gender.

Volleyball finds success in regular season

By Aleksei Pavloff, Sports Editor 

The Ohio Wesleyan volleyball team still has four more games left in the season, but the women’s team is showing an impressive regular season performance with an overall record of 14-6.

For OWU athletes, a season can become difficult to manage with having to practice, play games, go to class and do schoolwork.

This can cause some athletes to become distracted with overwhelming responsibilities that can affect performance. Butthe OWU volleyball team is showing everyone on campus that they can perform well.

“We have a true family full of supportive, encouraging, and competitive teammates and we are all on the same page going for the ultimate team goals and trying to be the best selves in order to bring the best to the team,” said head coach Kirsta Cobb.

The women’s team is showing an impressive season with 14 wins and 6 losses. This is making some players confident for the future. Junior Lauren Carpenter is the right-side hitter for the team and she said she is pleased with the team’s success.

“We are really happy where we are right now but there are always things we can improve on,” Carpenter said.

One of the team’s strengths is its home performance. The Bishops are dominant at home, boasting a 7-0 record but with a strength, there is a weakness, with the team’s away record being 2-4.

“We have to do a lot of traveling which is tough,” said Carpenter. “But we are definitely a team that plays well at home.”

One of the team’s biggest challenges every season is playing the Wittenberg Tigers. The Tigers are on top of the Division III volleyball world by being the number one team in the country. Cobb said she is confident that the team’s chemistry and experience will overcome any obstacle.

“We have played a pretty tough schedule, and are growing each day of this season,” Cobb said. “We have a lot of newcomers, half of the team actually – as well as a strong leadership group.”

“[Playing Wittenberg] is a great challenge because it gives us a chance to play the number one team in the country,” Carpenter said.

The success of this season has put the women’s team in third place in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC).

This past fall break, the team traveled to Michigan to compete in the Midwest invitational, where the Bishops beat Elmhurst and Adrian University, both in five sets. They also lost to Hope College in three sets and Ithaca in five sets.

The team has only four more regular season games to play before the NCAC tournament in November at Wittenberg. Of the four games left, Alleghany and DePauw are the only conference games left in the season. After those matches, the team will play Mount Union and then Otterbein to conclude the regular season.

“As a team we do not feel we are where we need to be yet, but we are working hard to get there every day, and feel the things we are doing are helping us to get there,” Cobb said.

Series finds major boost in sequel after initial flop

By Aleksei Pavloff, Sports Editor 

Blade Runner bombed at the box office when it was released in 1982, but its sequel is not something you should miss this fall.

Blade Runner 2049 is the sequel to the 1982 cult classic of the similar name. In the first film, the audience meets Dekard (played by Harrison Ford), who is a detective working in Los Angeles during the dystopian year of 2019. The film shows a future where flying cars and analog-like technologies are prominent and how people use it in everyday life. Dekard is not just a detective, he is what some people would call a hunter as well. What does he hunt? Replicants.

Replicants are a form of android-like humans whose sole purpose is to help build things for mankind. In other words, they are slaves that have an open mind and can think freely. They also have strong capabilities such as strength, speed and endurance.

In the first film, Dekard hunts replicants that abandon what they were designed for. Basically, he kills those who disobey orders or escape. In Blade Runner 2049, the audience meets a very similar protagonist.

Officer K (played by Ryan Gosling) is the hero of this story and his journey of discovery is something that is very enjoyable to watch.

The theme of ‘what does it mean to be human?’ is a regular thought that comes into play. The replicants that Officer K encounters can be mistaken for human, yet are treated very differently. By differently, I mean they are treated very poorly. There is an obvious tension between man and machine.

The overall experience of the movie can be challenging for some people. The movie is 2 hours and 43 minutes and in that time you see character development that is much needed. The long run time gives the audience a reason for liking or disliking the characters in the film.

The movie is something that people should definitely go out and see. Its complex social issues and character development are unique. The world of Blade Runner 2049 is diverse with all different types of people roaming the streets. You will find yourself lunging at the edge of your seat with questions and anticipation.

Gillespie Honors House dedicated during homecoming week

By Reilly Wright, Photo Editor 

The Gillespie Honors House, Ohio Wesleyan’s newest $2 million campus addition, houses 27 honors students, a variety of educational events and countless opportunities.

Located at 81 Oak Hill Ave., the house opened in August to sophomores, juniors and seniors part of the Leland F. and Helen Schubert Honors Program, who applied in the spring to reside in the new house.

The Gillespie Honors House was officially dedicated Thursday Oct. 19 during Ohio Wesleyan’s 2017 Homecoming and Family Weekend. President Rock Jones, Honors Program Director Amy McClure and the Gillespies were in attendance to speak at the crowded dedication.

The Gillespie Honors House moderator, junior Cindy Huynh, also spoke at the event showing her support for the house and its donors. As moderator, she works with housemates and the Honors Board to plan and host events at the spacious house.

“I believe that the Honors House is very unique and different from the other themed houses,” Huynh said. “We all have different backgrounds, perspectives and passions, which allows us to learn from each other. We all motivate and support each other to be the best that we can in order to reach our academic goals and aspirations.”

The student residence was built with funding from alumni Robert W. Gillespie ‘66, a key player in Cleveland banking industries, and his wife, Ann L. Wible Gillespie ‘67.

Both are still deeply involved in the university. Ann is a strong legacy, and Robert is an OWU Life Trustee and a board member of University Advancement, Finance and Operations, and Investments committees. Both are also members of the Founders’ Circle for their more than $1 million contribution and were involved in their 50th class reunions.

“Mr. and Mrs. Gillespie and their family are very passionate about students and their experience here at OWU,” Huynh said. “Their vision was to build and cultivate a community with the university’s best and brightest minds from now and for many more generations.”

In addition to their $2 million contribution for the house, their gift included another $500,000 for the Ann Wible Gillespie Endowed Scholarship, the Jack Dawson Scholarship and the Ohio Wesleyan Fund to sponsor campus operations.

In Ann’s dedication speech, she told of her grandson questioning their major donation to the university when there were programs such as cancer research to support.

“I think I said something like ‘You know, it seems to me that all real progress starts with education … for the most part, this is the core for getting our country and the world where it needs to be,’” Robert said.

Save riots for the street; keep them away from sports

By Kienan O’Doherty, A&E Editor

Riots have occurred in major cities around the globe, and the one thing that unites all people is safely staying away from the confrontations.

Sports unite almost everybody, from basketball to baseball to rugby, and especially the world’s most popular sport, soccer.

With many issues being demonstrated by protests and riots nowadays, sports teams are opting to play behind closed doors. Or in other words, not let a single fan into the stadium.

Some sporting events have faced criticism for doing this.

Most recently, FC Barcelona decided to play UD Las Palmas in a league game behind closed doors at their stadium, the Camp Nou. The reasoning for this was because of the violence in Catalonia due to the 2017 Catalan independence referendum.

Another example is the Baltimore Orioles, who played the first ever crowd-less game in the history of Major League Baseball.

Officials decided to play the games behind closed doors because of a wave of looting and rioting around Camden Yards that broke out amid tensions between residents and police. The turmoil, prompting a citywide curfew, came hours after the funeral of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who sustained a fatal spinal cord injury while in police custody.

Now I understand that a sporting event is one of the most popular things to watch. But for the players’ safety, as well as the fans’, cautionary measures have to be taken.

For example, a soccer game in Europe can even cause more riots than subdue them, as fan behavior has become a big factor postgame. Even after a victory.

According to CBC News, a riot that occurred in Montreal in 1993 after a victory, saw “ rioters burnt or smashed 16 police cars as well as other vehicles.”

After the Vancouver Canucks lost the Stanley Cup to the Boston Bruins in 2011, riots cost the city “Just over $3.7 million. There were 112 businesses and 122 vehicles damaged, and 52 assaults were reported against civilians, police and emergency personnel, according to Global News.

If a team decides to play behind closed doors, it is to look out for their safety, as well as the stadium’s and make sure they aren’t a part of the outside confrontations.

Student shares NYT democracy forum experience

By Alameina White, Transcript Reporter

Ohio Wesleyan sophomore Raissa Kanku was one of four college students worldwide selected to participate in a New York Times global democracy forum held in Athens, Greece.

From Sept. 10-15, Kanku was exposed to many influential leaders around the world, including the prime minister of Kenya, Amina Mohammed and Annika Savill, the executive head of the United Nations Democracy Fund.   

Though only four hours were spent at the forum a day, Kanku said she was networking 24 hours a day with the people she was being exposed to.

Kanku was given the opportunity to sit on a panel with Kerry Kennedy, the president of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights; Irina Bokova, the director of General UNESCO; and Brian Smith, the president of Europe, the Middle East and Africa Group and the Coca-Cola Company.

On the panel, they were given the topic of “bridging the generation gap” (elders against the youth).  On another panel where Kanku sat with European journalists, they discussed climate change.

Kanku said she did not believe that the way the organization leaders answered the question were representative of people from different regions. Instead, she said they based their answers on what they had personally done.

But Kanku said she enjoyed the opportunity to network with people who understand her passion for helping child soldiers within the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo integrate back into their community.

“It was a platform for me to express how I felt about organizations and for me to network with people who could help me further my ideas,” Kanku said.

In the process of networking, Kanku and other students from around the world observed that the representation of minorities was less. Kanku noted that while there were students from Pakistan, there were no leaders from Pakistan at the forum.

“You have this forum that’s supposed to represent the whole world, but it didn’t really,” Kanku said.

The students discussed topics like these and their perspectives of what they’d heard when they returned to where they were staying, the American College of Greece, in discussions led by Richard Detweiler, president of the Global Liberal Arts Alliance.

The Global Liberal Arts Alliance sent a general call to politics and government professors across campus.

Ashley Biser, associate professor of politics and government, was familiar with Kanku’s Theory-to-Practice Grants and nominated Kanku to apply.

Biser nominated Kanku because of her spirit and energy, unique background and desire to make democracy stronger.

“I think that she is someone who cares a lot about the world and trying to make it a better place,” said Biser.

In the evenings, Kanku had the chance to explore Greece and toured the Acropolis Museum where she learned about how much Greece developed in terms of government.  Kanku also said she  enjoyed the architecture and the gyros.

“You could walk downtown and still see how everything was styled in Ancient Greece,” said Kanku. “There was so much history.”

Attorney gives lecture on DACA

By Aleksei Pavloff, Sports Editor 

Attorney Joe Mas visited Ohio Wesleyan to give a lecture about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) on Sept. 27.

DACA is an immigration policy that is meant to let children, who were brought into the U.S. illegally, to stay. The policy was established under an executive order passed by President Barack Obama in 2012 and has since been challenged by current President Donald  Trump.

“Many of us are afraid of change, having discussions on diversity, equity and inclusion is not easy, which is why we invited Joe Mas to share with our campus and town community his expertise on DACA,” said professor Juan Armando Rojas.

Mas is an attorney and an immigration specialist. He also served as director of the Ohio Commission on Hispanic and Latinx affairs in the 1990s. The organization is a state agency that focuses on issues in the Hispanic community. Mas has also been an attorney since 1979.

“I got to testify in front of the House of Representatives and the Senate frequently,” Mas said. He continued to say that his experience alerted him to the issues of Hispanic people who are living in the state of Ohio.

“Since that time, we have had a very active political discourse here in Ohio concerning language issues and immigrant issues,” Mas said.

With a very diverse and experienced background, Rojas said he felt that Mas’ knowledge was something that OWU students and faculty should hear.

“Joe [Mas] has invested much of his efforts and time supporting and legally advising immigrants and underrepresented people that usually don’t fit in with the traditional bureaucratic categories,” Rojas said.

Mas said his main goal of the lecture was to give attendees a history on DACA and to provide an opportunity for the audience ask questions.

OWU hosts community CROP Walk

By Aleksei Pavloff, Sports Editor 

Ohio Wesleyan University hosted the annual CROP Hunger Walk to raise funds for People in Need and Church World Service on Oct. 8.

Students, faculty and members of the Delaware community came together to raise money for people in need of food and other living needs.

The walk is meant to represent the distance that many people in developing countries travel just to get food and water.

The event was organized by the Chaplain’s Office and the Community Service Learning Office. The walk raised more than $6,000 to help those who are in need of food and water.

“[The CROP Walk] is just a wonderful opportunity to bring campus and community together,” said Sally Leber, the director of Service Learning.

The walk also raises money for an organization called the Church World Service (CWS).

According to the CWS website, the organization has been around for seven decades with their one goal being to build “a world where there is enough for all.” The organization works with all types of faith backgrounds.

“[CWS’s] main mission is to partner with organizations that are doing hunger and thirst relief,” said Lisa Ho, the associate chaplain at OWU.

Ho has been at OWU for 13 years and has helped organize the walk for more than 10 years.

CWS works all over the world to help those in developing countries get the food and water they need to sustain life. Ho mentioned they also help with maintaining ways for people to get access to food and water. This is done by giving crops and livestock to individuals in need and also teach people how to farm.

The CROP Walk is not just exclusive to the OWU campus.

CWS puts on many events all over the country that help different communities and areas all over the world, according to Ho.

“The people who raise funds, 75 percent of those funds goes to Church World Service and 25 percent stays in the Delaware community,” said Ho. “We give [the funds] to the People in Need food pantry.”

Ho said this year, many of the funds raised by CWS will go to the hurricane relief. This is due to the recent hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.

Poetry festival brings Latin America to OWU

By Kienan O’Doherty, A&E Editor 

The Ohio Wesleyan modern foreign languages department, as well as Viva Latinx, held a two-day poetry festival on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10 that celebrated Latin American literature.

The festival, held in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, welcomed poets from a variety of countries, including Argentina, Colombia and Spain.

Juan Armando Rojas Joo, professor of modern foreign languages and associate dean of diversity and inclusion, expressed that poetry is an essential part of Latin American culture

“In Latin America, poetry festivals are organized to build a sense of community, where creative freedom, equity and multiculturalism can be celebrated,” Rojas said.

The festival began on Oct. 9, with a poetry reading from all of the guest poets, as well as translator Jennifer Rathburn, a professor of Latin American literature at Ashland University.

Each poet read around two to three poems.

Among some of the guests were Mauricio Espinoza from Costa Rica, as well as Guillermo Arango from Cuba.

Espinoza’s latest poetry book, respiración de piedras, won the 2015 National Award from the University of Costa Rica, and Arango has received several literary awards.

Later that same day in the final event of the festival, all of the poets returned to participate in Poetry Book presentations.

The poets’ diction and tone of voice was supposed to present a powerful and moving message. Junior Serena George, who attended the event, said she believed that to be the case.

“It was a privilege to be able to listen to and meet the poets that came to the festival,” George said. “The emotion they put into their work showed the power words have to inspire, heal and unite people.