Steve Hofstetter performed at Ohio Wesleyan University on January 28, where he commented on student related issues. While he received a big turn out, a few students found a few of the things he said offensive.By Emily Feldmesser
and Sara Jane Sheehan
Transcript Correspondents
Nothing was off limits at Steve Hofstetterâs Jan. 28 comedy show, hosted by Campus Programming Board (CPB) and Sigma Phi Epsilon (Sig Ep).
The show opened with a performance from Pitch Black, Ohio Wesleyanâs womenâs a cappella group. They performed three songs fresh off their set list from their International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) competition the previous weekend.
Hofstetter came on stage for about an hour of stand-up. Hofstetterâs website says he practices âcomedy without apology.â
According to his website, Hofstetter is an original columnist for College Humor. His comedy videos have millions of YouTube views, and heâs written three books and made many television appearances. Hofstetter performs at over 100 schools every year.
During his OWU performance, Hofstetter joked at many issues related to students. From the city of Delaware to drugs to airports to the media, nothing was left uncovered in his show.
âIt was the kind of humor where you didnât want to laugh because he was harsh,â said sophomore Kristen Puckett, CPB president. âBut everyone was laughing the whole time, which I was happy about.â
According to some members of the audience, though, Hofstetter was not as funny as they expected.
âSome perceived him as offensive, which I completely get, but that comes with the territory,â Puckett said.
Pucket said she was really happy about the turnout at the show. She said about a hundred people showed up, one of the largest crowds theyâve gotten in a while.
Puckett said they got Hofstetter to come through Sigma Phi Epsilon. Hofstetter is a brother of Sig Ep and the OWU chapter reached out to CPB to bring him to campus.
Junior Jake Miller, president of Sig Ep, said he was nervous about the turnout due to a late start advertising the event.
âHofstetter has spoken at the Sig Ep National Conclave (a national Sig Ep event) before, so we knew what to expect in his show,â Miller said.
The brothers of Sig Ep had an opportunity to personally meet Hofstetter.
âIt was really cool to meet another Sig Ep, and Hofstetter likes to meet different Sig Eps at his shows,â Miller said.
Sophomore Kelly Rand, CPB vice-president, said organizations like CPB go to the National Association for Campus Activities conference every year to see and book entertainment.
â[CPBâs] purpose is to bring fun entertainment to campus,â she said.
Puckett and Rand said they are really looking forward to the events they have coming up in the spring.
Puckett said this event is not a replacement for Crossroads or Springfest, but âthere was not a good turn out for the amount of work we put into for Crossroads or Springfest.â
Rand said their next event is the Roller Rink on Feb. 15, which will include a skating rink in the Benes rooms, free food and a photo booth.
Puckett also said CPB has OWUâs Got Talent and Dakaboom, an event with comedians, coming in March. CPB also hosts Day on the Jay in the spring.
Rand said CPB is always open to suggestions from students about events should be held on campus, but there are no guarantees an event will be held. To contact CPB, see their Facebook page.
Paramedic Justin McLaughlin filling out a report during his daily job duties.
By Samantha Simon
Transcript Reporter
Captain Jennifer Cochran starts her 24 hour duty at 6 a.m. every third day of the week, and she wouldnât trade her career for anything.
It is the job where you can be watching MTVâs Buckwild one minute, and on the scene of a fatal car accident the next.
It is the life of a paramedic.
âI work 10 full days a month and get to really help people, I wouldnât trade it for any other career,â Cochran said.
Cochran knew she wanted to be a paramedic in high school, so she decided to ride along with someone she knew in the fire department to make sure it was the right fit for her.
She loved the energy and it felt right, so she began her first EMT-B class. Upon completion of the course and obtaining a license, she worked for a private ambulance service and then joined Delaware County EMS in 1997. Cochran was promoted to Lieutenant in 2000, and then to captain in 2011.
As Captain Cochran said she was able to expand what she calls her second family, as she oversees a larger group of crew members throughout the county.
âWe spend a third of our lives together,â she said. âWe fight, we take care of each other and we look out for each other.â
Cochran doesnât exaggerate when she said she treats her crew like family. Cochranâs morning began at Coldstone Creamery to pick up a cake for Chuckâs birthday, a paramedic stationed at medic 7 in Harlem Township.
âI usually bake cakes for everyoneâs birthday, but recently have just run out of time,â Cochran said.
Cochran said she has gotten anywhere from zero to 13 calls in a 24 hour shift. This shift appears to be a little different for her as I will be riding along, observing but not intervening.
I am told to stay in the vehicle unless I am told it is clear, and to remove myself if I feel I cannot stomach what is happening.
The two crew members on duty, Justin McLaughlin and Keith Tussey, said they have seen âjust about everything.â
âThe ones involving children are the worst,â McLauglin said. âThose are the ones that really stay with you.â
McLaughlin thinks back and remembers some really ridiculous circumstances that he witnessed.
Tussey and McLaughlin have been on hundreds of calls together, they tell me, and begin laughing in remembrance.
âThe zit incident was probably the stupidest one,â they recall.
I sit wondering what the zit incident could even mean. They explain that a trucker at 2 a.m. had a zit that âwouldnât stop bleeding,â so they took him to the hospital.
The two reminisce about calls theyâve had, pausing, to either laugh or remark on how serious or dangerous the situation really was.
âDelaware County is a tremendous place when it comes to resources made available to first responders and paramedics; we have about fifteen units just in this county and the population is only at 100,000,â McLaughlin said.
âYou canât throw a cat in the city without a unit responding,â he said. âWe are also fortunate with the quality and range of hospitals nearby; Riverside has a great cardiac program, along with the burn center at OSU. We can transport two patients safely, but there are so many medics around here itâs not done very often.â
Tussey said that they both have kids so when they go home at 6 a.m. itâs nice because theyâre still asleep.
âIâd rather have 24 hour shifts, than eight hour shifts and the only thing that really does pose a major problem, is that every third Christmas and Thanksgiving we have to work,â Tussey said.
Each county truck has three paramedics.
âJenny tries to be the boss of us; we give her a rough time because we joke around a lot,â Tussey said. âShe has to go on most calls, and when she is not needed she still often comes to supervise us. She cares about her job and the people we serve.â
Cochran tells me it is time to deliver the birthday cake, and I hop into her truck with my DCEMS jacket on, feeling slightly overwhelmed.
The ice cream cake sitting in the back next to a first-aide bag may have not been the right choice if we need to quickly respond to a call.
Cochran may not have thought the ice cream cake through because this is her life; she squeezes these errands in throughout the day with the ongoing possibility of needing to respond quickly to a scene whether it is life threatening or just routine.
Pulling up to Medic 7 in Harlem Township, a more rural area, seems quiet and slow paced, but boy am I wrong.
Birthday boy Chuck McNaab is inside with a wide-grin after receiving his red velvet-strawberry ice cream cake.
Cochran asked McNaab to give me a tour of their headquarters, and the tour turns into McNaabâs life story of becoming a paramedic.
âWe are paid for what we are willing to do,â he said confidently. âBack in the day there was no guarantee you could get medical care, prior to that funeral homes had a bed in the back of the car you could hop on and theyâd drive you to the hospital. Now, Delaware County has more than enough resources.â
âI started in 1997, and have been here 15 years now, Iâll be sixty when I can retire,â McNaab said. âBut thatâs ok, because I love this work.â
He also went on to explain how he quit the fire department because he got too banged up and it was taking a toll on his body.
âDoing EMS is a whole lot healthier, aside from back injuries,â McNaab said.
McNaab made a point of saying that patients come before pride.
âWhen someone is hurt we will work together to get the job done,â he said. âSometimes after a call where someone dies we often say that we âkilled one today,â we may employ humor as a defense mechanism. We have debriefings for the really disturbingly gory things, but we also have our crew mates to depend on, and look to for support.â
McNaab said that sometimes patient stories really stay with you.
He told me about an alcoholic woman in the area who they would get called to at least once a week. Shaking his head, McNaab said that this woman treated the crew the same way every time, where she made two of the crew members bad guys and one would be the good guy.
âI like you, the other two, well those guys steal from me, and I know you can help me,â he said, mocking the woman.
âIt is always something with her, but then we saw her out on a different call where she sober and not the patient,â McNaab said. âShe said she was sorry and that she would bake us some cookies and sure enough she baked us the cookies, but then two weeks later we were back at her house and I was the âidiotâ again. Thatâs part of the job and you just really canât let it get to you.â
âWe have to go, we got a run,â said Cochran, hurrying in the room.
I hopped in the truck and learned there was a gas leak at a church, and Cochran will need to stage the scene in case anyone gets hurt.
âWe are the furthest away we could possibly be,â said Cochran, as she stepped on the gas and the lights and sirens wailed.
I sat and watched the road as cars pulled over for us, reminding myself of why I am in this vehicle. While in route, the dispatcher told us that the call was cancelled and we were no longer needed.
Cochran asked me if I felt scared at all. Immediately I told her no, but also realized there was no time for panic, and understood what the paramedics had been explaining to me all day. That it is a job that cannot allow you to insert your own fears and anxieties into the situation. That to do so, would negatively affect the care of the patient, and would also make the job even more challenging than it already is.
âYou get the sad ones.â Cochran said. âYou get the ones where you get to save people, you also get to change peopleâs lives and intervene, we change showerheads, we clean bathrooms and you do it because you care and it is your job. One of the paramedics even calls to check up on his patients after two or three days to see how they are doingâ.
âI try to not let any call get to me,â Cochran shrugs. âWe go on so many runs we need to view every situation as an emergency and not panic, because if we panic everybody else panics. You have to be calm. I once thought about being a nurse, but the constant changing aspect of this job is what I love, and I could never be in a hospital all day.â
Paramedics live the life of a normal person for much of the day. One minute they are at a familiar Taco Bell, eating something they probably wouldnât recommend to their patients, and the next minute they are at a suicide shooting wearing a bullet proof vest.
McLaughlin, jokingly said that his wife told him they are only married today because he goes away every third day.
Paramedics possess true dedication. They offer an unparalleled level of care to both their patients and their colleagues.
This week is an exciting time for all of the fraternities on campus, as we get to extend invitations to men to join our brotherhoods. In this time of things to come, I reflect on my experience of receiving a bid and what being in a fraternity has meant to me.
Coming to Ohio Wesleyan as a freshman, I had absolutely no intention of ever joining a fraternity. I only knew them from television shows and movies and did not have any interest in joining one. I had my group of friends in Smith Hall. Why would I ever need to join a fraternity?
One of the first fraternity men I met was Spencer Meads, who was the president of College Republicans at the time. While he had mentioned Phi Delta Theta (Phi Delt) and invited me to lunch a few times to talk politics, I never really thought much about joining.
By the end of my first semester, a harsh reality began to set in about my current group of friends: they were all transferring. Many of them were football players from out of state, as far away as New Mexico and Texas.
I didnât really want to leave OWU. I was a leader in many clubs and organizations, and had found my major of politics and government. Leaving didnât make sense to me, but without my group of friends, it would be tough to stay.
A few weeks into the second semester, I got invited back up to Phi Delt for lunch. Spencer was still the only person in the house I knew, but that day, they gave me a bid to join the house. I was stunned but excited to have received the bid. I thought that maybe this was exactly what I was looking for to stay at OWU.
The next week, I signed my bid and officially became a pledge of Phi Delt. Not knowing anyone in the house or anyone in my pledge class made me nervous, but I knew it was going to be the only shot I had at staying at OWU.
Throughout pledging, I expected to learn about the fraternity. I expected to learn the names of some of the guys in the house. I even expected to become decent friends with some of them. What I did not expect was making true, lifelong friends in the pledge process.
This started just by getting to know the guys in my pledge class, and then grew to everyone else in the house. By the time I got initiated, I had become close friends with every guy in the fraternity.
I have lived in the house for almost two years now and have never regretted joining. I have served a full term as vice-president of the house as well as other various positions and committees.
Living in Phi Delt has given me a group of friends that have helped make me a better person. Though positions, I have learned how to work with people and manage the house. While we all have great times at socials and mixers, some of the best times are just going from room to room to talk, watch a show or play a video game.
So, to those of you receiving bids throughout this week and this weekend, I want to encourage you to really take time to consider joining. Ask questions to brothers in the fraternity. Get into contact with alumni who have been involved with Greek life.
Ask the brothers if you can come and join them for some meals or come and hang out over the weekend.
Express any and all concerns and questions you have to the brothers.
Remember that fraternities do not just hand bids out to anyone. You were given a bid because they legitimately want you in their brotherhood.
Iâm proud to be a part of Greek life and Iâm excited for anyone who may join. (Iâm even more excited for the group of guys who are about to sign bids to Phi Delt.)
It is going to be a great semester for whole Greek community.
Look at the people who are nearby youâwhat do they look like? You can tell a lot about a person from looking at them, but can you tell what they believe in? Some might say yes because said person is wearing a religious symbol on their neck, on their shirt or even as a tattoo on their body.
I say you cannot, because no specific mannerisms, characteristics, skin color, hair color, eye color, accent or what have you can make you believer or nonbeliever. Belief, or lack thereof, is invisible to the human eye.
Some may be thinking, âWhat about the people I see wearing a religious symbol around their neck, on their shirt, or even have a tattoo that is religious in some way?â
I have friends who wear said symbols around their necks, on their shirts or have them tattooed on their bodies, but they do not believe in that religion at all. Why, then, would someone wear it or tattoo it on their body?
Some people like the message a certain verse may give, whether they believe in it or not. Some people may believe a cross, a star and crescent or even a Star of David are really cool designs and they want to have a shirt, necklace or tattoo of said thing.
Religion has become a label more than anything. There is rectitude with being a believer, so if you take the label as your own, people will usually think more highly of you. People tend to have common misconceptions of nonbelievers, whether it is that they are immoral, anti-religion or what have you. If you took time to get to know some people who are not believers, you would realize those misconceptions are not true.
You now realize how belief, or lack thereof, is invisible. This is what I want to talk about. Itâs easy for people to see someone who is a different sex, or who has a different color of skin than them; some may even make the same argument for sexual orientation, but we all know that is not always true.
People tend to watch what they do and say when they can see someone nearby who they may offend. Since belief, or lack thereof, is invisible, how can you watch yourself around certain kinds of people and be inclusive of those people who do not stand out?
We could start with the idea of interfaith dialogue. A lot of interfaith groups have been very inviting of nonbelievers to join their conversation which is really a good thing. The issue is in the name âinterfaith.â People do not think of nonbelievers as people of faith, so when they hear âinterfaith,â nonbelievers are going unnoticed due to faulty language.
After the Newtown Shooting, there was an interfaith prayer vigil in the Peale Chapel, and after President Obama was inaugurated, he attended an interfaith prayer service at the National Cathedral the next day. Because of this, I am convinced that interfaith stuff is for people of belief. I have no issues with interfaith dialogue and events, but if we are to be included, I would rather the name not be exclusive and prayer not be involved.
You read or hear in the news about the Gay Rights Movements, the abortion debate, gun control laws, immigration reform and even stuff regarding religion. Do you ever see or hear the news talk about nonbelievers? Have you have heard of the Reason Rally? Iâm not surprised if you have not, because it was hardly covered in any major news source.
On March 24 of last year, 20,000 people assembled on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. to stand up for their rights as nonbelievers. It was known as the largest secular gathering in history, and it was a milestone in the secular movement. You see stuff in the news about abortion and gay rights ralliesâbut not this.
We are the invisible minority because we donât stick out, and we live in a country that is primarily Christian. I personally believe that if you are Christian in this country, you automatically are privileged in many ways. If you think that is not true, just look up the âWar on Christmasââthis is how poeple are responding to others wanting to be included in our society and culture.
The fact that most of our politicians are Christian affects a lot of laws and policies in this country. People ignore the part of our Constitution where it says that the government it supposed to neutral when it comes to religion and how it affects laws and policies, and that is not happening. It is affecting laws that pertain to abortion, marriage equality and separation of church and state. It was also responsible for laws that put segregation into place and laws that prohibited certain people from voting.
Nonbelievers are fighting against these kinds of things right now to make sure that religion is not being used to oppress people at the federal, state and local levels.
I am sure no one knows that this is happening, of course, because we are invisible to society. I am also sure that a lot of people think âhow can someone be good without god?â People may also not know that there are actually people who are recovering from religion like people recover from drugs and alcohol. Some people are traumatized by religion, and these things are not known by anyone. But why? People are too busy judging people by what they can see with their own eyes.
Everything we see and go through is invisible, and I am sure if they could see that someone is a nonbeliever, then they would judge you for that, too. Trust me; I have seen plenty of it in my own life.
The Equal Rights Amendment sought to create a constitutional protection against sexual discrimination under the law. From Alice Paulâs first draft in 1923 to the bold efforts in the 1970s and early â80s, it met an untimely grave in 1982, falling three states short of ratification.
30 years later, itâs time to bring the ERA back to life.
Gender discrimination is still an issue. Women, on the aggregate, still only make 77 cents for each white male dollar. The number is even lower for women of colorâabout 70 cents for black women, and about 60 cents for Latina women.
The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) ceased to exist because of Republican opposition to its inclusivity of undocumented, Native American and LGBT women; it still has yet to be reauthorized.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panettaâs edict demanding equal combat opportunity in the military was met with sexist screeds from officers and lower-ranked soldiers.
This is not okay.
Itâs not okay that women have lower workplace opportunities than men; itâs even less okay that those opportunities are further restricted for women of color.
Itâs not okay that the most significant method of legal recourse victims of gender-based crimes disappeared at the turn of the year.
Itâs not okay that itâs taken so long to lift the combat ban, and that itâs still meeting resistance.
The ERA would not cure these problems, but it would assuage them. It would make things like biological essentialism in policy, wage discrimination and letting important legislation like VAWA fall out of the law illegitimate.
Some argue gender separation is goodâmen and women are biologically different, so why not treat them differently? Some express concern that a legal protection against sexual discrimination would mean the abolition of separate bathrooms, since the Supreme Court has declared public facilities cannot be âseparate, but equal.â
The High Court has indeed ruled that sexual discrimination is not as insidious as racial discrimination because of the biological differences between men and women; so sexists have a lower standard of legal scrutiny to meet than racists. But to me, that is not okay, either.
This doctrineâs foundation is the denial of the fact that gender is socially constructed, just like race is. The Jim Crow eraâs bigoted arguments were based on a similar denialâracists felt people of color were inherently inferior, so they wrongly treated them as such.
But they were wrong. Itâs common knowledge that these attitudes are incredibly racist and violative to people of color. In the same way, biological essentialism is sexist and violative to women, as well as people who donât identify within the gender binary.
This is not to compare the struggles for racial and gender equality, nor to excuse the feminist movementâs abhorrent racism. To make such a comparison or excuse would be offensive to the immense number of people still oppressed by the racist society in which we live.
The ERA would simply give legal protections against sexual discrimination that exist for racial discrimination under the Fourteenth Amendment. Explicit constitutional prohibitions on both racism and sexism would lay a foundation for an intersectional system of law that acknowledges and addresses the ills of racial and sexual oppression together rather than treating them as mutually exclusive.
A petition on We The People, the White Houseâs official medium for public exercise of the First Amendment, is gaining momentum in putting the ERA back onto the national radar. It has 20,609 signatures of the 25,000 necessary for an official executive response.
Sign this petition. Itâs accessible through a quick Google search. Add your name and share it with your friends.
By getting the ERA out from its shallow grave, we will make a large step toward the just society that weâve been trying so desperately to achieve since our nationâs foundation.
Since the seasons have officially changed and winter is upon us, the switch from summer and fall clothing must make the move to winter wear. Yes, heavy sweaters and hats are now needed, but that doesnât mean you have to abandon your favorite gingham oxford or lightweight teeâyou just have to layer!
If you are not naturally a cold weather person, layering can be intimidatingâhow much do you layer? Do you take it all off when you get inside? What do you do with it once you take it off? Letâs break it down item by item.
Start with a basic tank top. It will keep you extra warm and protect from any wind that may sneak through the shirt. Next is a button-downâpatterned, colored, anything goesâbecause then you are going to put a sweater over it.
This can be any type of sweater. Just about every style looks quite cute with an Oxford underneath. But a note: if you think youâre going to want to take off layers, put on a sweater that is not as fitted and easier to get on and off.
Pull both sleeves so they are even on your wrists and then roll them together with the Oxford exposed.
There is a lot of creative freedom hereâmixing colors and patterns is fun and allows you to sneak in a little more color on those super grey days.
The last item is a scarfâthe chunkier the better in my book, because it will cover your entire neck and keep you protected from the harsh Ohio winds. From there you have a few more options, if you wish: a hat, vest, gloves, ear warmers and all those extra little things that depend on just how cold it is outside.
Weâve covered the top up until now. What about your legs? You can wear this layering combo with just about anythingâskirt and tights, jeans and leggings, all of any color.
Ohio Wesleyan athletics are closing in on DePauw University for first place in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) All-Sports trophy race.
DePauw leads the race with 52 points, followed by OWU with 50 points and Denison with 45 points. DePauw field hockey captured their first conference title in history, which highlighted their fall sports season. OWU menâs soccer won their fifth consecutive conference title, and football earned their first share of a conference title in 24 years.
Head football coach, Tom Watts, said the team had specific goals this past season.
âOur offseason goals were to win a conference championship and become a complete team,â Watts said.
OWU tallied five top-five finishes during NCAC fall athletics.
Menâs basketball ranks second in the conference, only two games behind Wooster. Menâs indoor track currently ranks second in conference, while the womenâs team is in position to win their fourth consecutive title.
âRecruiting is key, and once they arrive, hard work and training takes over,â said Seth McGuffin, assistant track and field coach.
OWU menâs lacrosse, menâs baseball and menâs and womenâs outdoor track and field are all favorites to finish in the top three in the conference during the spring.
Athletic Director Roger Ingles said one sport alone cannot win the trophy for the school.
âTo win the all-sports program takes a balanced program,â he said. âYou have to treat all sports equally. You will annually have different results but the consistency of the programs and the development of staff who buy into a balanced approach are critical.â
OWU has won 135 team championships, amassing nine All-Sports trophies in the conferenceâs 29-year history. The All-Sports trophy is given to the NCAC School who performs the best in all 22 sports. In 2010, the trophy was re-named the Dennis M. Collins Award, after the late NCAC executive director. Collins was the first and only executive director since the conferenceâs creation in 1983.
In tribute to Collins, the award also judges academic success, something he saw took priority over athletics. He also served as a member of the NCAA council, NCAA Interpretations Committee and Division III Nominating Committee.
âWell-liked and respected by everyone, he helped start a new league in 1984 and saw it grow into one of the most respected and competitive Division III conferences in the nation,â Ingles said. âIt was Dennisâ vision and drive that helped the NCAC as a national leader in Division III.â
OWU won the trophy in 2007 and 2008, and shared the honor with Denison in 2009.
âSuccess across sports helps us attract talented student athletes in each of our athletic programs,â University President Rock Jones said.
Improved recruiting has resulted in five of the last eight winners of the NCAC Student Athlete Award being Battling Bishops.
On Saturday, Jan. 26, the Ohio Wesleyan menâs track and field team competed in the Spire Midwest Indoor Track & Field Open meet where seniors Ethan Freet and Silas Jolliff each broke school records.
The meet was hosted by the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio, and featured teams from Division I, II, III and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) universities. Freet and Jolliff competed in the 400-meter dash and finished first and second, respectively. Freet finished with a time of 0:48.36 and Jolliff finished with a time of 0:48.63. Each runner surpassed the previous school record of 0:48.70, set by Tyler Stillman in 2000. Freet and Jolliff then teamed up with senior Matt Martin and sophomore Brian Cook to place first in the 4×400-meter relay with a time of 3:15.37, the second-fastest time in school history.
Head coach Kris Boey said the team performed well given the tough competition, and Freet and Jolliffâs finishes were especially impressive.
âThe Spire Midwest Open meet was high quality, with mostly Division I and II programs represented,â Boey said. âThe fact that we finished 1-2 in the 400 and first in the 4×400 relay is an indication that our athletes are well-prepared and very competitive. The 4×400 ranks 2nd in DIII and it was the 2nd fastest time in school history.â
Freet said the meet went well overall and he was pleased with his performance, as well as those of his teammates.
âSilas and I had a good meet, as well as Matt and Brian on the 4×400 relay,â he said. âWe accomplished the goals we set out to accomplish, and it took a little pressure off.â
Jolliff said breaking the record helped him realize what he was capable of and motivated him to run faster in the future.
âEthan has the record technically now, so obviously I want to run faster to break it, but when I heard we both beat the previous school record I guess it solidified in my mind that we are able to run right up there at the national level,â he said.
Joliff added that he always admired Stillman, and that breaking the record made him more motivated and eager to see how much faster he can go.
Jolliff said he was happy with his finish in the 400, but he has also found some ways that he can improve and finish with even better times in the future.
âI thought the meet went well,â he said. âI was fairly relaxed going into the meet, but also nervous. But Iâm usually always nervous before I run. Itâs hard to run a perfect race so I think there were some things I could have done differently during the race to run faster, but thatâs in the past and it gives me stuff to work on.â
Freet said his mentality going into the meet played a key role in his success.
âIt was exciting to finally go out there and focus on running a good race,â he said. âGoing into the meet, our mindset was more of a âLetâs see what we can do,â as opposed to âWe have to run a fast time.ââ
Following the meet, Jolliff was named a North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Menâs Sprinter of the Week last week. He was also ranked second in the NCAA Division III in the 400-meter dash at the time of the meet.
Jolliff said he is pleased with his accomplishments so far, but he also has big plans for the remainder of the season.
â(M)y main goal is to go to nationals and become an All-American in the 400 and the 4×400,â Jolliff said. âIâve missed out on that four times now, barely, because of injuries and other things; so definitely becoming an All-American is my biggest goal.â
Freet said he has similar goals to Jolliff for the rest of the season.
âGoing forward, I am just going to keep practicing and enjoying what I am doing,â Freet said. âMy goal right now is to keep working on the 400 and to break the 4×200 record.â
Boey agreed with Jolliff and Freet, saying he does not expect his runners to be happy with where they stand. Boey said he plans for Freet, Jolliff and the team to continue to their success.
âI was pleased with the results,â Boey said. âWe are focused on the process at this point, knowing faster time will come as the season progresses, but their efforts were impressive. However, we are not content and satisfied. Our goals are much bigger and we have work that remains unfinished. Itâs the day to day details that have brought them this far and that will continue to allow Silas and Ethan to develop. The best is yet to come.â
Jolliff said he thinks the team as a whole will continue to improve, and he expects them to do well both within the conference and in national events.
âAs far as the team I think we have a big season ahead of us as long as people stay focused and are practicing hard and doing the right things,â he said. âI think this year we will have a good representation at nationals, and at some of the bigger meets this year we will be tough opponents against other teams.
âI love running with all the people on the team and, I think we are gonna see some big things this year.â
Freet said he expects a lot from his team this season, and he thinks the support among his teammates will help them to be very successful throughout the remainder of the season and in post-season events.
âAs a team I think this is the best weâve been across the board since I have been here,â Freet said. âEverybody is running and competing extremely well at this point, and we are well ahead of where we have been in the past. People seem to be enjoying the atmosphere and being a part of the track team, and I think that that is a huge part of the success. I think that come conference time we should be right there competing for the top spot.â
The day before his assassination, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said in a speech that he had been to the mountaintop and looked upon âthe promised land.â
On Martin Luther King Day, the OWU community celebrated both Kingâs legacy and the second inauguration of President Barack Obama, a step toward Kingâs promised land.
The celebration began with a breakfast in the Benes Rooms, included a noon presentation on King by Black Men of the Future and ended with a lecture by Professor Emmanuel Twesigye on Obamaâs inauguration and Kingâs dream.
The breakfastâs main speaker was the Rev. Albert Brinson, a friend of Kingâs who was ordained by both King and Kingâs father.
The on-campus breakfast, which was held for the 20th year in a row, was conducted by Rosalind Scott, chair of the MLK Celebration Committee.
OWU and the Delaware community have been holding events in honor of Rev. King for 45 years, including a march from the Liberty Community Center to Grey Chapel in January 1968, when King was still alive.
Scott said 350 people attended this yearâs event, including Delaware residents, students, local businessmen, and people from the Columbus area.
While tickets were $20 per seat, student tickets were available for free, and students were allowed to go to the event instead of classes, something Scott said may not have been widely known.
Black Men of the Future held a presentation on King in Hamilton-Williams Campus Center at noon, playing part of Kingâs âI Have a Dreamâ speech. Members also spoke about King, read poems and displayed artwork of King.
Sophomore Shakira Braxton, president of the Student Union on Black Awareness, which includes BMF as an umbrella organization, said in an email that she was âappalledâ by the OWU communityâs response to the presentation.
She said that, even with a microphone, members of BMF had trouble making themselves heard over the noise.
âMembers of our community thought its ridiculous that a program like that was not more positively received,â she said.
Twesigyeâs lecture focused on the relationship between King and Obama and whether Obamaâs second inauguration showed that Kingâs dream of racial harmony had been realized.
âWithout King there wouldnât have been an Obama,â Twesigye said.
Twesigye spoke and showed a Powerpoint with notes on Kingâs dream and whether it had been realized with Obamaâs inauguration.
âKingâs dream has been partially incarnated and realized in Obama,â one slide read. Twesigye also described how Obamaâs inauguration reflected Kingâs life and legacy. One of the Bibles used to swear him in was Kingâs personal Bible and had been provided by Kingâs family with a request that the president sign it. Before the inauguration, Twesigye said, Obama visited the monument with his family and âpaid homageâ to King.
After the events, Twesigye, Braxton, university chaplain Jon Powers, and politics and government professor Joan McLean all spoke in interviews about Kingâs legacy.
Powers said he saw King as being part folk hero, part prophet, and said that the larger than life folk hero aspect is emphasized over the prophetic image, which challenges us to look at ourselves.
All four of them agreed that Kingâs vision of an America with racial harmony had not been fully reached.
McLean said that âpartsâ of the dream had been realized, but that King championed the rights of all who have not had access to the American dream.
âWe still have poverty, we still go to war too often, in his eyes I believe,â McLean said. âWeâve moved closer, but thereâs still lots of what was contained in the dream to be looked at.â
McLean also mentioned that while the nation has elected an African-American president twice, there have only been seven African-American senators in history.
Braxton said that while the election of Obama is a tremendous step, âsocial and institutional racism and the discrimination of all peopleâ are still issues today.
Powers said that today was âa very different worldâ from when he grew up in the 1950s and 60s, when lynchings and segregation still took place.
âThereâs cultural and practical things that have changed,â he said.
He still sees ârabidâŚracist hatredâ in America though, particularly targeted toward Barack Obama.
Powers, who was in college when King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated, said he fears the President may be assassinated as well.
âIt only takes ⌠one crazy person and a magic moment,â Powers said. âI have that fear. Iâm not a worrier or a fearful person; this isnât the way I want to live my life.â
He added that while he grew up in âviolent times,â violence still exists today.
âWhen a congresswoman can be gunned down in open air, when people go into a movie theater or an elementary school and start randomly shooting, I canât imagine those things happening when I was growing up,â said Powers. âIn some ways itâs crazier.â
Braxton, Powers and Tweisgye each said that increased education would help address the ongoing problem of racism. Braxton said ignorance is a big part of discrimination, and that people need to meet members of other races personally, rather than relying on media-based stereotypes.
Twesigye added that both sides need to work together to combat prejudice and injustice.
Powers praised the University for having minority groups such as SUBA, BMF, Sisters United, ProgressOWU and Horizons International, and for classes offered by the sociology-anthropology, politics and government and black world studies departments.
âI think that those of us who fervently believe in Kingâs vision need to not give up, but to keep pressing forward on [educating],â said Powers, who described himself as a âhopeless optimist.â
The Modern Foreign Language (MFL) House displays a banner during a slushy SLUsh week.By Ellin Youse
A&E Editor
Residents of Ohio Wesleyanâs Small Living Units [SLUs] experienced excited anticipation and careful consideration last weekend as they recruited and interviewed prospective new additions to their homes.
The SLUsâ recruitment period, or SLUsh week, is each SLUsâ opportunity to promote itself on campus and interview applicants who identify strongly with the house mission statement. Throughout the week, each SLU holds an open house event that allows OWU students to meet the residents of the house and learn more about the SLUâs mission and involvement. Those interested in applying for a SLU can pick up an application and schedule an interview.
The number of applicants the SLUs ask back to the house depends on several variables, the first being the number of graduating seniors in the house. The second is the maximum occupancy of the house–for example, the Modern Foreign Language House (MFL) can hold 10 occupants maximum, while the House of Peace and Justice can take up to 17. Because each house has a limited number of open spots, senior Colleen Waickman, a resident of the Womenâs House, said makes the decision process tiresome as it requires an intense amount of deliberation.
âIt takes time and dedication to decide how you and your housemates would like your community to look in the coming year,â Waickman said. âFurthermore, there are so many amazing applicants and only a few spots that open each year, making decisions really tough. Although SLUsh week can be exhausting, itâs still very exciting and totally worth it.â
The SLUsh process isnât just nerve-wracking for the current residents. Junior Kevin De La Cruz, a Citizens of the World House (COW) resident, said the SLUsh process is âdefinitely stressfulâ for the applicants hoping to find their home in a SLU.
COW House member Kevin De La Cruz asks SLUshing students to show is house some love at the all-SLU event last Thursday.âItâs just like anything that takes control out of your hands,â he said. âNot knowing whether or not youâll be living exactly where you want to live can make anyone nervous.â
Junior Erin Parcells, a resident of MFL, agreed that the SLUsh process can be overwhelming as an applicant.
âYou obviously like the houseâs theme or you wouldnât have applied,â she said. âYou obviously expressed interest in living in the house so you want the people living in the house to like you in your 15-minute allotted time slot, so, yes, it is nerve-wracking.â
Parcells said that while the process can be intimidating, applicants usually feel more comfortable during their interviews, which often become effortless conversation. As for the residents, Parcells said SLUsh is âjust really exciting.â
âItâs so cool to see so many people interested in your house, and you can only take it as a compliment,â Parcells said. âThis year we had just shy of 30 applicants. Itâs very flattering.â
The kind of occupant desired by a SLU is also variable, but this time in relationship to the applicantâs passion for the SLUâs mission statement.
âI can only speak for MFL, but we usually want someone who is rich and popular. Oh, and attractive,â Parcells said, laughing. âKidding! We look for someone whoâs super interested in languages and cultures, someone who gets excited when talk of travel comes up and is excited about going through the process and about us.
âWe think itâs really important when someone loves the house without ever saying those words. People who really love language and culture can easily talk about how great language and culture are, without ever having to say exactly that. We never go for popularity; we go for people who we believe would do really well in the house and would contribute a lot to it.â Sarah Richmond, Madeline Migul and Caroline Williams play a round of Uno at the final SLUsh event in Stuyvesant Hall.
According to De La Cruz, extensive conversation and passion for the mission of the house are crucial during the SLUsh process because the applicants are not just applying for housing, but for community.
âUnlike dorm life, SLU life connects you with a community of people who share your same passions and interests,â De La Cruz said. âIn a SLU youâre not only living with friends, youâre living with people who you can relate to, and who relate to you.â
In keeping with the idea of community, Parcells said an applicant who has little interest in the house mission and is mostly interested in a living option outside of the dorms and easy to spot. But for those individuals who are intensely driven and interested in finding others who are equally passionate, Parcells said the SLUs are the ideal home.
âTo me, there is nothing cooler than living in a house with a bunch of my closest friends on campus and concentrating on a subject that I love,â Parcells said.
âPeople who are just as enamored with a subject as you are teach you things everyday. God bless the SLUs.â
