OWU takes same-sex marriage debate to Heidelberg

Juniors Nick Elhers and Kati Sweigard battle over same-sex marriage in the performance “8” at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio. Chris Tucci, the director of theater at Heidelberg University, invited the OWU students, faculty and staff involved in the production to perform. Tucci said he felt it was important to inform the Heidelberg community about marriage equality.

By Noah Manskar
Transcript Correspondent

Ohio Wesleyan’s production of “8,” a play about the legal battle over same-sex marriage, was revived on Sunday for a performance at Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio.
Chris Tucci, director of theater at Heidelberg, said he invited the “8” company of OWU students, faculty and staff to perform after seeing videos from rehearsals for September’s OWU production online. He said he met senior Leah Shaeffer, director of “8,” when they worked together at a summer camp two years ago.

Tucci said he thought it was important to inform the Heidelberg community about same-sex marriage as it becomes a more prevalent national issue.

“If the Supreme Court doesn’t make the decision for the country, Ohio’s going to have that fight on its hands, and I wanted our students to have the opportunity to see what happened in California first hand,” Tucci said.

Shaeffer said Tucci told her he wanted the message to come from an outside perspective to show students outside Heidelberg were passionate about the issue, and “what theater could do as a political tool and as a tool for social change.”

Tucci said he knew Sunday’s performance would be different from the OWU production. Because of Heidelberg’s smaller size, abundance of first-generation college students and popularity of “traditional” majors like business and physical education, he said, there is less “diversity of thought.”

“All of your cast, they had friends and family and supporters in the audience (at the original performance),” Tucci said. “We don’t have that here. You’re going to have folks who are going to take what you say at its value and not give you any benefit of loving you right off the bat. In fact, they may be antagonistic from the beginning.”

Shaeffer said her expectations of how Heidelberg would be different were mostly met. She said Tucci told her about 10 people walked out during the performance, seemingly as a “form of resistance.”

“I am glad that we caused so much controversy that people felt the need to walk out of our theater production,” Shaeffer said.

Shaeffer said she expected Heidelberg’s environment to be less familiar than OWU, where she said the goal was to “amp up” existing support rather than changing the audience’s opinion.

“But at Heidelberg it was totally different, and I hope that we actually opened or changed some minds,” she said.

Heidelberg student Logan Burd, who attended the performance, said he didn’t think there would be a large variety of opinions among Sunday night’s audience.

“I don’t expect a lot of people to come out that aren’t really in support of what the play is representing, at least not in the numbers that I would hope so,” Burd said. “I would hope that people would be here from both sides, so it’d be fairly represented and non biased.”

The company conducted a talkback following the performance, as it did at OWU.

Shaeffer said she didn’t feel they received the hostile questions she was expecting, but that acceptance was probably because most opponents had left.
Burd said he felt both sides of the issue were presented equally in the play.

“One side clearly kind of came out on top, both in the courtroom and in, I think, the hearts of the audience,” Burd said. “But it tried to kind of portray both sides fairly.”

Shaeffer said the message of “8” is close to her personally. She said she hopes those unsure of their position on same-sex marriage were “knocked over the fence” after the performance, and those who oppose it “had a seed planted in their brains that might someday sprout and open it up.”

“Marriage equality is our generation’s civil rights fight, and I have every bit of faith that it will be legalized nationwide in my lifetime,” Shaeffer said. “But I would prefer it to be sooner rather than later so that I can marry my girlfriend in the next five years, which is probably unrealistic, but I would like our relationship and the relationship of every gay couple who wants to consider themselves married to be valid everywhere in this country.”

Chamber choir is singing its way to Italy

Freshman Alex Armstrong, sophomores Alan Klinect and Rachel Ward and seniors Samantha Mason and Evan Sponholz perform songs from the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

By Emily Hostetler
Assistant Copy Editor

Ohio Wesleyan’s Chamber Choir will be showcasing their voices while learning music history abroad next semester as they travel together to Italy.

A selection of 24 students from the Choral Art Choir were chosen for the Chamber Choir that will be traveling to Italy with their director, Jason Hiester, assistant professor of music, over Spring break as part of a traveling learning course.

On Saturday, the Choral Art and Chamber Choir performed in the Hamilton-Williams Campus Center Benes rooms to raise money for the Chamber Choir’s trip.

The money made from the concert will be split between the students, in addition to the $24,000 grant from OWU that is being split between the Chamber Choir.

The choirs performed a collection of Italian songs, with introductions to each song by the students explaining the music or performance quality of the pieces.

Senior Elizabeth Blakeslee informed the audience that the first piece performed as the choirs marched into the room was a balletto by Giovanni Gastoldi, a genre meant to be sung, played and danced as balletto comes from the Italian word “bolero,” to dance.

Hiester said the pieces surveyed at the recital were from the Renaissance and Baroque period and were secular, non-religious, or sacred, religious.

The choirs performed 10 pieces for the audience and some songs even included percussion accompaniment.

Next semester, the Chamber Choir will continue to increase their repertoire as they prepare for their performances in Italy.

The choir will be traveling to Venice, Sienna and Florence to perform three to four times, while learning about Italy, Italian culture and music history.

“There’s a wealth of amazing choral music in Italy that came out of Italy,” Hiester said.

“In fact, it was just a major musical center for so much of the renaissance, so much of the baroque, so much of the classical.”

After doing a lot of research on Italy, Hiester thought it would be a great idea to take the chamber choir there to learn more about the master composers’ work.

“It’s a place I wanted to come more acquainted with on a personal level, to be there and to just walk in the shoes of what other composers have done,” he said.

The choir, along with Hiester and several other chaperones and guests, will leave for Italy March 9 and return March 18.

Freshman Alex Armstrong, sophomores Alan Klinect and Rachel Ward and seniors Samantha Mason and Evan Sponholz perform songs from the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

Sophomore Calla Loadman said she is really excited about leaving the country for the first time and traveling to Italy.

“Italy is one of those spots you have to go to,” she said.

“Dr. Hiester wants us to have the opportunity to be in that type of setting and to see where the music we are singing came from.”

One of the places the choir will be performing is the St. Mark’s Basilica, where they will be singing a mass.

Hiester said it is important for students to experience what they are learning about outside of the classroom.

“As music students, we sit in classrooms and talk about these masters but, to go there and to actually see the buildings that they worked in,” Heister said.

“St. Mark’s Basilica has been there for over 1,000 years. Major composers, all of them worked in that basilica, and to be able to go into and be able to sing a mass in the place those composers were at that’s pretty amazing to get that close to music history,” he said.

“It’s almost like tasting it and touching music history. And it’s so different from being in a classroom and it being kind of abstract, but to be in there and to stand in the sanctuary and to hear and to see and to taste and to smell and to touch is just real learning.”

Junior Ally Kirchberg has already traveled to Italy twice before, but can’t wait to go back, especially with the choir.

“This will be my third time in Florence and Venice but my first time in Sienna,” she said.

“I love the Italian culture. I love the art, the food and the atmosphere. It’s a place I feel comfortable because I’ve taken Italian for so long.”

Hiester said he wants students “to see what they (the masters) saw that influenced their composition,” but students will also be experiencing some shared musical experience and a cultural exchange as they perform with local choirs at various locations and universities.

The music picked for the Chamber Choir to sing can all be linked back to Italian history.

Hiester said all of the singing is a cappella because transporting instruments would be impractical.

Most of the songs are from the Renaissance period and less of the Baroque period because a lot of Baroque pieces have concertizing music.

When the chamber choir is not performing, they will be sight seeing at major musical and artistic sites in the different cities that they are visiting while keeping in mind relating what they are learning on site to the music history they learned in the classroom.

Men’s basketball 5-1 after defeating Capital, Allegheny

Senior guard Andy Winters dribbles past a defender in a NCAC game against Kenyon College last season. Winters was named NCAC player of the week for the week of Dec. 3 and was the first OWU men’s basketball player to post a triple-double with 13 assists, 12 points and 11 rebounds in the Bishop’s NCAC win against Allegheny College last Saturday.
By Sadie Slager
Transcript Reporter

The Battling Bishops continued their strong start to the 2012-2013 season with wins over Capital University and Allegheny College last week.

Ohio Wesleyan defeated the Capital Crusaders 64-53 in a non-conference game and the Allegheny Gators 76-62 in their first North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) game of the season. This improved their overall record to 5-1 and 1-0 in the NCAC.

In the early minutes of the Nov. 28 match-up at Capital, the Crusaders raced to a 6-0 lead but OWU came back to tie the game 8- 8 and their momentum continued to grow. The Crusaders and Bishops each led the score at different points throughout the first and second halves, and Capital led by one point at half time.

The Bishops capitalized when the Crusader offense failed to follow through to take the lead for good with less than seven minutes left in the game.

Junior wing Dre White said the key to the Bishops’ comeback from the initial 6-0 deficit was persisting and finishing when first shots didn’t make it in the basket.

“The same kind of thing came up later in the game in close situations when the score was tied,” White said. “The team that was able to knock in the easy shots was going to win that game and in that case we were able to do that in some big possessions.”

Senior guard Andy Winters and senior wing Anjuwon Spence both said they remembered basketball is a “game of runs” and knew they had the ability to come back and win after Capital’s first run.

“We understood it was a long game and that we were capable of getting back into it one possession at a time,” Spence said.

Game announcers for Capital said the Bishops secured the win because they are more physical and experienced than the Crusaders.

White said the team’s experience and high number of upperclassmen are key elements in its success this year.

“In this past we have been the young team, but now with eight seniors we have experience on our side,” White said.

Winters said being familiar with the team is also helpful.

“We have been together for a while and understand each other,” Winters said. “This helps to overcome the obstacles during the game.”

Spence said the Bishops’ toughness is shown by their hard-nosed defense as well as mental and physical strengths.

“We have been in big games in tough atmospheres before, so we know how to respond and overcome adversity,” Spence said.

The Bishops also used this strength in their first NCAC game of the season, beating the Allegheny Gators on the road.

Against the Gators, Winters achieved a personal best and tied a school record with 13 assists, a number which has not been matched since 1977. He also had 12 points and a personal best of 11 rebounds all of which made him the first OWU men’s basketball player to post a triple-double. For his achievements, Winters was named a NCAC Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 3.

Winters said the team will have to continue to work hard for conference wins.

“It is always nice winning a conference game,” Winters said. “Allegheny is a good team and we played pretty well for 40 minutes. Our conference, from top to bottom, is really good this year. We will just continue to play one game at a time and understand that no game is a given.”

Spence said defeating Allegheny was the first step for the team’s goal of winning the NCAC championship.

White called the win “huge.”

“Our conference is always tough, and this year it may be as strong as it’s been from top to bottom,” White said. “So getting a big conference win on the road against a good team was an exciting start to our season.”

White said one of the team’s focuses for upcoming games will be offensive execution and consistency in knocking down shots.

“Right now, our defense and intensity keeps us into a lot of games,” White said. “If we can improve offensively while keeping up that same attitude, it will only make us that much better.”

The win against Allegheny wasn’t easy, Spence said, and showed the team how hard they would have to continue to work this season.

“I think we will have a very successful season if we continue to do what we do best – to defend, compete and play harder than every other team,” Spence said.

The Bishops’ next home game is Dec. 8 at 3 p.m. against DePauw University at Branch Rickey Arena.

Hostess goes under, 15,000 left unemployed

By Samantha Simon
Transcript Reporter

On November 30, a bankruptcy judge approved bonuses for the management team at Hostess, while allowing the company to liquidate.

The move calls for 15,000 people to immediately lose their job, with an additional 3,000 expected to work for one more year before the company shuts down entirely.

The shutdown and closure of the company gained national attention as a result of the Teamsters, a union representing the drivers, choosing to accept the terms Hostess put forth to remain in business.

The other union, The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM), has more workers and chose unemployment over reduced wages and benefits.

The company’s shutdown was also noteworthy because of its nostalgic and well-known brands of Wonderbread and Twinkies.

The bankruptcy judge’s decision will force the eventual end to 33 bakeries, 565 distribution centers, approximately 5,500 delivery routes and 570 bakery outlet stores throughout the U.S.

In Ohio, it is estimated that between 800 and 1,000 workers will lose their jobs. The company will shut down three bakeries in Cincinnati, Defiance and Northwood.

Drivers throughout the state will also lose their jobs, as well as those individuals who worked at the five Hostess bakery outlet stores.

The company had already shut its Columbus Wonderbread plant in 2009, citing diminished demand for its products.

Some students are upset about Hostess closing, realizing that many of their favorite treats may be unattainable in the future.

Junior, Rebecca Overbeeke said she will forever miss many of the treats especially HoHo’s.

Senior Andrew Sloan said it is unfortunate the company had to close, but realizes it is a profitable brand name and someone will probably buy it and redistribute it.

If the products are not redistributed, students can turn to hundreds of fans who are “pinning” recipes for Twinkies, Snowballs and more on pinterest. Junior Meg Greff said “if we can’t count on Hostess, what can we count on?”

Eating habits have changed as the focus on diet increases, and Hostess has battled the growing acceptance of lower carbohydrates in one’s diet leading to a drop in demand for its bread and snack items by between four and nine percent per year, over the past three years.

Increased competition from grocery store brand items that are similar in nature to Hostess’ well know dessert and snack products also weakened the company’s fiscal health.

While blame has been pointed in many directions, unions have been targeted as being unrealistic, with respect to their wage demands, when working for a company that was struggling financially.

Conservative groups have criticized the unions for opting to collect unemployment checks, rather than reduced paychecks.

The management of the company has also been criticized for voting for their own reasonable raises and bonuses, and liberals have faulted the investors and company management from trying to profit at the expense of laborers.

The primary investors, Ripplewood Management, a private equity hedge fund, have also been critiqued for their approach to handling labor negotiations.

Ripplewood enlisted the services of former Senator Richard Gephardt, in the hopes that he would convince the unions to give in to the demands of the company.

There was instant distrust on the part of the unions when Gephardt’s son was appointed to the board of directors with a $100,000 salary and Gephardt had an equity stake through his consulting group.

“I voted no to the proposal. I need a job, but it became pretty clear that one way or another we were going to go out of business. No one could trust anyone. Management didn’t know what they were doing, and we could take a pay cut, but we all knew that a few months from now, they would be asking for more concessions,” said David Kellogg, a 47-year-old worker from the Northwood bakery and a member of BCTGM.

Steven Rogers, a member of the Teamsters union from the Toledo area and a delivery man for Hostess products, said he was not happy with the “bakers” whose vote effectively left him without a job.

“I have to be honest,” Rogers said. “If I would see a baker right now, I’d have to be restrained. Sure things are not great. And they have a point that management wasn’t changing any of our marketing or approach to selling Twinkies, but I need to work, and I was hopeful, that once we got things going in right direction, we could eventually be making good money again.”

Rogers said he would have preferred to have a job during the holidays, as his kids are going to be disappointed this year.

While blame goes around, and conservative and liberal pundits offer their views on who is at fault, the end result has been an investment company that will lose most if not all of their 125 million dollar investment.

Union workers who voted to save their jobs and union workers who voted to end their jobs are out of work leading to 18,500 jobs lost on a food product that may have passed its shelf life, even if it was a multi-year expiration date.

Student arrested for burglary, voyeurism

By Marissa Alfano
Editor-in-Chief

An OWU student was arrested for burglary, indecent exposure, voyeurism and disorderly conduct on Saturday, Dec. 1, according to Delaware Police Department incident reports.

At 1 a.m. freshman Waleed Osman was written up by Public Safety after a freshman female student reported that she noticed a male inside the girls Thomson Hall bathroom watching her take a shower. The victim was able to identify the suspect.

At 2:10 a.m. Osman was again cited by Public Safety after a junior female student reported a burglary at 70 S. Liberty St., the address for Bashford Hall. She told officers she was sleeping in her bed and awoke to a strange man in her bedroom. He was arrested and charged with burglary, indecent exposure and disorderly conduct.

These two cases have been combined into one, according to DPD Captain Robert Penrod. He said after charges are filed, the person in custody has a right to a preliminary hearing within 10 days. He said it is not unusual for a case such as this to go to a grand jury. Osman was being held for $150,000 cash bond or surety.

Penrod said OWU Public Safety did a good job of gathering information and working with DPD.

“It was a great job by OWU PS in their response,” Penrod said. “A very astute officer took the first report, and then the officer who wrote the second thought it was kind of suspicious and they might be connected. He contacted us and the investigation went on from there.

“The student identified him, we took him into custody and questioning and he was charged with four charges. He was transported to Delaware County Jail to wait for his bond hearing. It gives credit to our working relationship with them (PS). That is a big part of why it came to fruition.”

Penrod said it was important for OWU students to remember common safety tips when on campus.

“Keep doors locked in your dorm rooms and be careful who is following you home,” Penrod said. “Walk in groups and report all strange incidences even though they might seem justifiable at the time. You can always call 9-1-1 or go to PS as well for help.”

Efforts to reach Dean of Students Kimberlie Goldsberry before publication failed.

What do you think of the Stuy Café?

Cake walk raises money for victims of Sandy

By Chrissy Wesney
Transcript Correspondent

On Sunday five clubs put on their baking aprons to make cakes to benefit and raise awareness about “The Other Side of Sandy” at a Cake Walk in the Milligan Hub.

Black Men of the Future, Rafiki Wa Afrika and VIVA put on the Cake Walk to raise money for victims in the Caribbean affected by Hurricane Sandy.

The event followed a discussion held on Nov. 29 about the impact of the hurricane on the Caribbean.

Junior Ashley Madera, vice president and treasurer of VIVA, said she thinks it’s important to focus on the Caribbean because of the lack of media coverage the area got after the hurricane.

“We all noticed that other areas outside the United States were not covered, especially the Caribbean,” she said. “This was our way of helping an area that probably will not be covered in the news in the near future.”

Sally Leber, director of Community Service Learning, works with Pwoje Espwa (Project Hope), an orphanage in Haiti, and was able to talk to them after the hurricane.

“We know from our partners down there that when Sandy went through, there was just tons of flooding and a lot of their sustainable agriculture projects were really messed up. And there were some roofs torn off too,” she said.

Clubs donated a $15 entrance fee to enter a cake in the competition.

With a small donation of $1, students were able to sample the different cakes and vote on their favorite. Sisters United’s rum cake won the taste contest, and its winning recipe will be featured in the bakery.

“We were hoping for the whole community to sign up, but five is good,” said junior Hazel Barrera, the president of VIVA,” Madera said she came up with the idea for the event after gaining inspiration from community centers that have done cake walks.

“It’s a fun way, and a delicious way, to raise money, so I thought students would really be into that,” she said.

Sophomore Mariah Powell, the president of Sisters Untied, said she participated because it was another opportunity to help hurricane victims.

“When Hurricane Katrina occurred, my mom was really big on donating (things like) water and diapers,” she said. “I felt like this could be a good way to give back on my end since it’s a new tragedy that occurred.”

Barrera said while she is grateful for all the participants this year, she is looking forward to expanding the fundraiser for next year.

“We hope to do something like this next year and gain more support from OWU students and staff,” Barrera said.

Sisters United’s rum cake recipe will be at the bakery later this week.

Weekly Public Safety Report

Nov. 26 – Dec. 2

Nov. 26 4:10 p.m. – Public Safety dispatched to Haycock Hall on a report of approximately 300 pounds of scrap metal missing from the exterior of the building.

Nov. 26 11:45 a.m. – A resident of Smith Hall reported being bitten by a pet rat while attempting to cage the rodent.

Nov. 27 2:31 p.m. – An OWU student was transported from Science Center to Grady ER by Delaware City EMS.

Nov. 27 7:50 p.m. – A Smith Hall resident was cited for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Nov. 27 – two separate bike thefts were reported to Public Safety. Investigations are ongoing.

Nov 28 1:50 p.m. – an ARAMARK employee reported damage to their vehicle while parked in the Beeghly lot.

Nov. 28 8:46 p.m. – Several Bashford Hall residents were referred to student conduct for underage consumption and violation of residential housing policies.

Nov. 28 9:14 p.m. – A Bashford Hall resident was transported to Grady ER by Delaware EMS.

Nov. 30 8:05 p.m. – An OWU student was transported from the Ham-Wil to Grady ER by Delaware EMS.

Nov. 30 8:05 p.m. –Two television sets were reported missing from the third floor storage room at 20 Williams Drive.

Nov. 30 9:30 p.m. – A Smith Hall resident reported the theft of a Bishop Bike that had been left unsecured in the vicinity of the Ham-Wil.

Nov. 30 11:05 p.m. – An OWU student reported the theft of a book bag and contents valued at approximately four hundred dollars.

Dec. 1 1:12 a.m. – A Smith Hall resident was transported to Grady ER by Public Safety personnel.

Dec. 1 10:15 a.m. – An OWU student was taken into custody for questioning, and later charged with several criminal offenses by Delaware City Police, following two separate incidents that occurred on campus.

Dec. 1 3:05 p.m. – an OWU student reported damage to her vehicle while parked in the Welch Hall lot.

Dec. 2 12:30 a.m. – Delaware City Fire and Public Safety were dispatched to Bashford Hall on a full building fire alarm. The cause of the alarm was due to an expended fire extinguisher located in the third floor stairwell.

Dec. 2 11:50 a.m. – Two OWU students reported the theft of their personal property from a downtown Delaware establishment. Investigation is ongoing.

Freethinkers discuss what separation of church and state means for the holidays

By Liza Bennett
Transcript Reporter

Ohio Wesleyan’s Freethinkers focus on religious, secular and human based ethics as they discuss winter holiday displays in relation to the separation of church and state.
The discussion was held in the Beeghly Library Café where nine students discussed their opinions of religious displays on public and governmental property.

While the discussion varied in views, the majority of students discussed the need to be inclusive, not exclusive, in regards to holiday displays.

All of the students also agreed that placement of religious displays should be placed in the hands of citizens and not the government.

Sophomore Avery Winston, co-president of Freethinkers, said he felt government employees specifically should not set up religious displays or have the power to decide whether or not to do so.

“I believe that religious displays can be on government property but only placed there by a non-government employee and they have to allow anyone to put up their display whether it be a menorah, kinara, happy human, or even the flying spaghetti monster,” Winston said.

Senior Adam Coles, co-president of Freethinkers, said the decision to display holiday signage should be placed in the hands of citizens.

“Personally, I think that we should keep them off of government property. This sort of thing belongs to private citizens, not the government,” Coles said.

The Freethinkers is a group that discusses religious and philosophical topics through the lens of reason and promotes secularism and human based ethics.

The purpose statement of the Free Thinkers is “an organization dedicated to the discussion of religious topics through the lens of logic and reason.

We take ourselves and our prejudices out of the equation and talk about these important topics without coloring them with our personal opinions.”

Senior Amanda Boehme joined the Freethinkers because as a member of the Inter-Faith House.

She wanted to begin attending the meetings because the discussions are relevant to her house’s mission.

Boehme said the discussion was good and explored both the political and social side of the issue.

Coles said although the discussion was a little more chaotic than usual, overall it went well, and he hopes more members of the OWU community will become involved in the discussion of faith and ethics.

“Honestly, all I want to say is that we have a fairly pervasive reputation as ‘those wacky atheists’ and I just want it to be known that we aren’t all atheists and that we aren’t faith haters,” Coles said.

“Give us a chance, and we’re decent folks, just trying to understand the world we’ve been given.”

Freethinkers next event is Dec. 3 in Bishop Café with OWU Better Together as a forum for members to share their stories of discrimination, marginalization and the misunderstanding as members of this social group.

Students and faculty celebrate “Living Colorfully”

By Margaret Bagnell, Banita Giri and Rebecca Muhl
Transcript Reporter and Correspondents

Black suits, sparkly dresses, high heels, smiling faces: OWU students crowded the Schimmel Conrades Science Center for this year’s President’s Ball on Dec. 1.
This year marks the fourth in recent history the event has been held and was complete with refreshments, music, dancing and a cocktail hour for the senior class, according to the President’s Club website.

Tickets were $5 for students to attend the “colorful” event. Senior Megan Pinto, co-president of the President’s Ball committee, said thanks to funding from the Wesleyan Council of Student Affairs and the President’s office, the annual party was just as good as last year’s.

“Our theme involved a lot of fun decorations and lighting; it (was) sure to make the space look beautiful and exciting,” Pinto said. “We also (had) lots of yummy snacks, as well as everyone’s favorite – the chocolate fountain.”

This year’s event theme was “Live Colorfully,” and drew its inspiration from the designer Kate Spade, according to senior Claire Whitaker, co-president of the President’s Ball committee.

“I wanted the theme to be something bright and cheerful, but not over the top,” Whitaker said.

“I’m pretty satisfied with the choice. Everything looked so classy.”

Senior Zeke Brechtel, a member of President’s Club said in order to make President’s Ball a reality, the President’s Club put in a lot of hours “planning, advertising and prepping.”

Whitaker agreed and said the President’s Club members were very helpful.
“We had to hang decorations in the atrium, distribute invitations to mailboxes, and sell tickets,” Whitaker said.

“We even distributed hot chocolate with colored umbrellas to get everyone excited about the event. All of us were pretty busy, and I don’t think that one single person could have done everything on their own.”

Brechtel said everything came together for a successful event.

“I’m proud of the entire club and it seems as though everyone had fun at the event,” he said. “I even got to dance with some of my professors, and I only heard positive feedback.”

In past years, President’s Ball offered a photo booth to students. However, this year the President’s Ball committee decided to change it up. A graffiti wall was available to students instead.

“The graffiti wall (was) located in the Science (Atrium) and function(ed) as a photo station/interactive projection screen,” Whitaker said. “Students pose(d) for a snapshot in front of the screen and then once the image is captured they (could) decorate as they see fit.”

As student’s approached the Science Center, they were greeted with colored luminaries along the walkway. The sounds of the OWU jazz band could also be heard from outside, senior Emilie Schachtner said.

Inside the Science Center atrium, a spread of food was available for both students and faculty.

“The food was fantastic,” Schachtner said. “They had everything from a spread of hummus to mini crab cakes … Everything looked and smelled so delicious; I didn’t know where to start!”

Schachtner said she had a really great time.

Chartwells was also present at President’s Ball. Donned in white catering gear, Chartwells’ employees assisted with setting up, attended to the refreshments and helped keep everything clean.

Junior Maria Jafri worked President’s Ball for Chartwells last year as well as this year. Despite the crowd, she said she believes this year’s President’s Ball was better organized and well-executed.

“I felt that this year things went very smoothly; there was a decent system in place,” said Jafri.

“When certain problems came up, we were prepared to deal with them appropriately.”

The problems that took place last year did not happen this year, Jafri said.

“A few students had managed to get into an unlocked room, people had left empty bottles of alcohol around, there were lost phones, ID cards and glasses,” she said of last year’s President’s Ball.

Jafri said working President’s Ball was worth it, and she had fun even though she was on the job.

“I got to see everyone and enjoy their company for short periods of time, but still got to work and make money,” she said.

Sophomore Deki Pelmo, a Chartwells employee who also worked President’s Ball, said it didn’t feel awkward to work the event.

“When I see students working hard at an event, I respect them for working hard and making money,” she said. “I’d expect others to look at me the same way.”

Pelmo said working President’s Ball was not much different than working other events on campus.

“With every event, the work is the same,” Pelmo said. “It starts out slow at first and then becomes busier as more people come and there are more plates to clean.”

“If the crowd is difficult that’s what makes the event hard for me,” she said.

Pelmo said she enjoyed herself at President’s Ball this year.

“As a senior my favorite part was the cocktail hour, but I also really enjoyed the live band,” she said. “It was just great to see both faculty and students celebrating being with each other and enjoying a fun evening.”