Matt Cohen – Page 4 – The Transcript

Childhood memories come rushing back

Poster from "The Lego Movie." Photo courtesy of rottentomatoes.com. — Poster from “The Lego Movie.” Photo courtesy of rottentomatoes.com.

Thursday, Feb. 26, gave many Ohio Wesleyan students a blast from their childhood with the showing of The Lego Movie and the announcement of this spring’s Bishop Bash headliner.

Campus Programming Board (CPB) presented the third movie of the series Popcorn and Pix, along with a big surprise after the movie: the performer for Bishop Bash.

Students came to Milligan Hub in Stuyvesant Hall to see the star-studded movie, with voice overs from Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, Chris Pratt, Charlie Day and Channing Tatum.

References to Lego kits filled the screen and characters straight out of those Lego boxes came to life.

The movie ended and a banner was let down. The secret was out. Drake Bell is on the way.

“It was nice to finally let everyone on campus know who the performer is for this spring’s concert,” said CPB member senior Garrett Van Schaick. “We’ve worked hard planning the event and getting the performance ready so I hope people will be excited to come to the concert.”

Drake Bell. Photo courtesy of Drake Bell's management. — Drake Bell. Photo courtesy of Drake Bell’s management.

There were mixed emotions when the banner dropped. Some of the students, along with CPB members, were cheering and clapping, while others were not sure what to make of the name.

Some people were delighted at the former Nickelodeon star’s booking. Like sophomore Jessica Sanford, who was thrilled.

“It’s my childhood dream coming true,” said Sanford. “I can’t believe I’m actually going to see my childhood hero in concert. I’m very, very excited.”

Drake Bell was the star of the hit show Drake and Josh that aired from 2004 to 2008 on Nickelodeon. He and his co-stars Josh Peck and Miranda Cosgrove were a part of these college students’ childhoods.

“I’m very surprised that the performer is Drake Bell,” said junior Bryan Ansel. “I feel like he should be performing for younger kids instead of college kids. I had to think for a second before I realized who he actually was. I didn’t know he was still around.”

Empty bleachers despite success

Update:

The Ohio Wesleyan men’s basketball team received one of the 19 at-large bids to the NCAA tournament Monday.

The team will face St. Olaf in the first round on Friday in Whitewater, Wisconsin. If victorious, a matchup with the defending champions, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, is likely for Saturday.

Last week the Duke University vs. Syracuse University game recorded the largest on-campus crowd in college basketball history at 35,446.

The Ohio Wesleyan men’s basketball team has a 20-4 record and captured the NCAC crown after being picked to finish fourth in the pre-season poll. The team is ready to host the conference tournament at Branch Rickey Arena.

But sometimes home court advantage doesn’t mean a packed house of yelling and screaming fans. OWU has averaged just over 600 people in attendance this season at their games, not quite 35,446.

Students are involved in all aspects of the OWU campus, and with classwork on top of it, they often don’t make it to sporting events, despite free admission and conference championships.

“The students here have so much going on,” Athletic Director Roger Ingles said. “Wednesday nights are tough. Just the other night we had a speaker with about 200 people at it. Students have classes and a lot of responsibilities on weekdays.”

The student section in Branch Rickey Arena has the potential to make OWU’s court a very difficult place for opponents to play, and has in some cases.

“Some of the bigger games against Wooster or Wittenberg, we can put about 100 students in there and it doesn’t look like a lot, but it’s about 5 percent of the student body,” Ingles said. “That same 5 percent at Ohio State University is 3,000 people.”

He’s right. OSU’s enrollment is 57,466 and 5 percent is about 2,800. OWU’s enrollment is 1,850 and 5 percent is about 90.

It’s not just students that are busy. Some faculty members are consistently seen at sporting events throughout the year, but it is very rare to see a large number in attendance.

“Faculty have so much going on too, especially the ones that don’t live right in town. It’s hard for them to go home and then go through traffic to try to get back for the games,” Ingles said.

The men's basketball team plays below mostly empty bleachers. Photo courtesy of Alex Gross. — The men’s basketball team plays below mostly empty bleachers. Photo courtesy of Alex Gross.

The Student Homecoming Organization (SHO) is in charge of promoting the games to the OWU community. They have created “Red Alert” games, which are usually reserved for rivalries, to attract more people.

“For every sport team we host a red alert game that we promote on social media and with flyers,” SHO Vice President Brittany Spicer said. “We also try to either have a tailgate or theme for at least a few games each year to try to bring out the community and get them more involved.”

With crucial games approaching, the team is getting ready to make a deep run into post-season play. They certainly have the potential based on their record and success this season. Large crowds and support among the OWU community would make this tournament journey that much more successful.

“We have worked really hard to put ourselves in this moment,” junior forward Joey Kinsley said. “We feed off the energy of our students and to pack Branch Rickey would be special.”

Women’s basketball wins on National Day

The win against Kenyon for the Ohio Wesleyan University women’s basketball team was a win for women everywhere.

With the women’s soccer, rugby and softball teams in attendance, the women’s basketball team defeated NCAC rivals Kenyon 75-71 on National Girls and Women in Sports Day last Saturday, Feb. 7.

The win pushed the Battling Bishops’ overall record to 11-11 and their conference record to 8-6.

Senior LaNiece McRae had a game high with 23 points and sophomore guard Megan Kuether crucially connected on four free throws in the last minute to put away the Lords and add to her career-high 22 points.

“It felt great to get the win, especially since all the other women’s teams were there supporting us,” Kuether said. “The win felt bigger and more exciting because of all the support for (National Girls and Women in Sports Day).”

According to the Women’s Sports Foundation website, this year marks the 29th National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The theme of the day was the reduction of concussions in female student-athletes, something that the website reports as a major concern “among female athletes at both the collegiate and high school levels.”

The website also suggests “there is evidence of gender differences in the outcomes of concussions, with evidence suggesting that female athletes present more concussion symptoms acutely, take a longer period to recover from concussions and report a greater number of and more prolonged post-concussion symptoms than male athletes.”

OWU women’s basketball beat Allegheny 58-56 in a thriller last Saturday and now looks toward proving themselves further in the NCAC tournament.

“We will keep working hard in practice as a team and committing to defense which helped us the past few games,” Kuether said. “Hopefully it will help us peak for the tournament.”

The 8-6 NCAC record has the Bishops sitting fifth in the conference with two remaining games against Oberlin and DePauw. Oberlin is third in the conference with a 10-4 record and DePauw is first at 15-0.

Last year, the women defeated DePauw in the last game of the season to give the Tigers their only conference lost.

Hall of Excellence inducts OWU grad

One Ohio Wesleyan alumnus added another accolade to his already accomplished career.

Greg Moore, Editor of the Denver Post and graduate of OWU, joined three other individuals who were elected into the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges’ (OFIC) Hall of Excellence. This award was created in 1987 to honor distinguished alumni of the 34 Ohio schools in the organization.

Moore graduated in 1976 with a double major in journalism and politics and government. He joined the Denver Post in 2002 and has led the paper to four consecutive Pulitzer Prizes.

On his way to the Denver Post, Moore worked in many different capacities at The Boston Globe, The Cleveland Plain Dealer and Dayton’s The Journal Herald.

“Not only has Moore excelled as a journalist, leading the Denver Post to four Pulitzer Prizes, but he also has selflessly shared his time and talent for the betterment of others,” said Rock Jones, president of OWU.

According to ofic.org, each school belonging to the OFIC nominates an individual to be reviewed by the Hall of Excellence committee. The election of nominees is based on the candidates’ “professional achievement; impact on society through service, leadership, scholarship, minority affairs, sciences, research, arts or elected office; and service to alma mater, all of which exemplify the value of a liberal arts education.”

“I was surprised when Rock called me and asked if I would accept the nomination,” Moore said. “After a couple seconds of silence, I said ‘Of course I would.’”

OWU’s Office of Multicultural Student Affairs granted Moore the alumni of the year award in 2012 for his work mentoring OWU students.

“When I was a student a lot of graduates came back and talked with us. I like to do that as well, OWU means a lot to me.”

Moore has become the 10th Ohio Wesleyan graduate to receive the award from the OFIC. The most recent was Jean Carper, class of 1953, who was honored in 2014.

He will be officially inducted into the Hall of Excellence on April 16 and will be visiting OWU to talk with students and friends the week leading up to the ceremony.

“I’ll be on campus for as long as I can,” said Moore.

Until then, Moore is taking it one day at a time and doesn’t have set plans for the next chapter.

“As long as you’re living, I think you can do great things,” said Moore. “I don’t know what’s next.”

The path back to 35

Recruitment for both men and women is not the only recent news involving Greek life on campus. An Ohio Wesleyan fraternity was given permission to move back into the place they once called home.

After seven years without a house, the Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji) fraternity received approval to return to 35 Williams Drive.

Members of the fraternity approached Dana Behum, assistant director of fraternity and sorority life, and Wendy Piper, director of residential life, about a year ago to express interest in starting the procedure.

“Dana and I met with individuals from the chapter and the chapter’s advisory board in September,” Piper said. “We invited them to submit an application for Fiji to occupy a residence on campus.”

After meeting with the members, Piper and Behum provided leaders of Fiji with a housing agreement, which would eventually be signed and approved.

The process was not always easy. According to Fiji president sophomore Ben Farynowski, there was a thick stack of paperwork to complete and a lot of disagreement among insurance companies.

“The big issue we had was insurance,” Farynowski said. “OWU’s insurance and Fiji’s insurance couldn’t agree, which took two and half months to figure out.”

Fiji’s advisor Dan Bennington, who was a member of the fraternity at OWU, lived in the house when he was a college student and was helpful during the process.

The current 35 Williams Drive House. Photo courtesy of owu.edu.

“It was great to have Dan help us along with the process,” Farynowski said. “Especially because he had lived in this same house when he was a student so it meant a lot to him to get the house back.”

OWU’s president Rock Jones noticed Fiji’s past record and commended them for completing the process.

“I congratulate the Phil Delta Gamma fraternity,” Jones said. “The fraternity includes a diverse group of men who provide leadership throughout the campus and consistently are at or near the top of fraternity academic performance lists.”

After Fiji heard the news, it was time to celebrate according to Farynowski. All the members were ecstatic to get the house back and to have one place to call home.

“We we’re getting pretty down toward the end of the process because we didn’t think the insurance would get figured out,” Farynowski said. “But it all got figured out thankfully and it’s pretty awesome.”

Freshman standout gains momentum

Ohio Wesleyan freshman exceeds expectations and leaps past competition to stand out at the OWU Triangular track meet on Friday.

Emily Brown, a freshman from New Concord, Ohio, won the long jump, 200-meter race and played a part in the 800-meter relay victory at the event in Gordon Field House. Brown completed the 200-meter dash with a time of 27.69 seconds and jumped 5.15 meters to win in the long jump.

“Long jump is my absolute favorite,” Brown said. “I’ve just always liked it and it’s my best event.”

Coach Kris Boey was pleased with Brown’s performance as well as the team’s, especially after a long break from training.

“Emily is off to an outstanding start, but the best is yet to come for her,” Boey said. “The same can be said for our team as a whole.”

College coaches contacted Brown at the end of her junior year of high school. That is when she became interested in OWU.

“When I came to visit, I liked how the team actually came together and was more of a family,” Brown said. “I liked the environment.”

Teammate Amy Greenwood, a junior, sees the potential in Brown.

“[Brown] had a personal record at her first collegiate meet,” Greenwood said. “She has a good shot to break some school records.”

Even as a freshman, Brown has some impressive goals for the rest of the season. “I want to (personal record) in everything,” she said. “At least get better after each meet.”

But having personal records alone is not enough for Brown. She also has visions for her team’s success.

“Our seniors this year are going for the grand slam for the fourth time,” Brown said. “That would be pretty cool.”

A grand slam is achieved when the team wins both indoor and outdoor conferences and all the events in Ohio.

New exhibit is uncovered at OWU

Larry Cressman talks about his art. Photo courtesy of Cole Hatcher.

Larry Cressman’s “Covering Ground” exhibit will be lining the walls of the Ross Art Museum on Ohio Wesleyan’s campus from Jan. 13 to Feb. 15.

The 3-D artwork is formed from daylily stalks, raspberry cane, dogbane and prairie dock. These natural materials are inspired by the Midwest’s fall and winter seasons.

Tammy Wallace, the assistant director of the Ross Art Museum, is excited to have a different kind of exhibit on display.

“The idea of drawing but in a physical sense is very unique and intriguing,” she said. “It adds something different.”

She explained even “Dreamscape,” one of the last exhibits on display in the museum, used branches, but was still very different than Cressman’s designs.

“It’s restrained and calculated and he knew where each one of these branches was going to go,” Wallace said.

OWU art students study the exhibits that come to the museum and use them as inspiration in the classroom.

Sophomore Abi Care Horvat enjoyed seeing the exhibit being put together, especially Cressman’s designs.

“In gallery management we pick out and hang all of the artwork in shows and design the layout of works in the museum,” she said. “This exhibit was especially cool because the only record of his sculptures are photos because he takes them all apart and arranges them differently for every show.”

When Director Justin Kronewetter and Wallace had the chance to bring Cressman’s work to the Museum, they were more than willing.

“It was an excellent choice for our students both in drawing and in 3-D,” Wallace said.

Cressman, who attended and now teaches at University of Michigan, has 15 collections around the United States.

As stated on larrycressman.com, he has received numerous awards for his work, including Best of Show at the Michigan Fine Arts Competition and the Merit Award at the Great Lakes Drawing Biennial.

Senior bouncing back

Senior Caroline Welker. Photo: battlingbishops.com

Senior Caroline Welker, a key member of the OWU women’s basketball team, was hit by a Delaware Police Department car last Thanksgiving while crossing Central Avenue. The officer driving the vehicle, Mark Jackson, was charged with a $135 fine without a court appearance. He was going 15 MPH when he struck Welker, and was involved in another on-duty accident two days before.

The accident gave her a concussion and is still keeping her out of the game. However, Welker is sitting on the bench again after missing five games this season, on top of the entire season she missed last year.

While she thought she was making progress, she began to feel serious symptoms of her concussion on a hot summer day in June.

“I felt awful, I could barely do a workout without passing out,” Welker said. “It was pretty scary.”

Treatments and medication did not seem to be keeping her symptoms at bay. She was already given shots in the back of her head that failed to provide any relief, and if therapy continues to show no improvements, shots to her spine are next on the list.

“It’s different than spraining an ankle or tearing an ACL,” Welker said. “Those suck, but sometimes I can’t physically sit there because I’m in so much pain.”

Occasionally, when the pain is really high, sleeping is the only thing that helps Welker get through it.

She is being held out of the beginning of the season and her symptoms do not fade anytime soon, her time on the bench may turn into her whole senior season.

“It’s been really hard because I haven’t been able to do any preseason stuff with my teammates,” Welker said. “I just keep telling myself I could be worse off, that kind of keeps me going.”

Even though watching from the sideline “tears her up inside,” she still goes to every practice, team workout and game to support her teammates.

“I think I’ve done a good job of being supportive of my teammates and being positive,” Welker said. “I think I help give a lot of energy from the bench.”

Sarah McQuade, Welker’s teammate and fellow senior is thrilled to have Welker on the court, even if it is just watching from the sideline.

“We use her as an example to not take a day or rep off because one day your chance to play might be gone and others would die to be in the position, including (Welker),” McQuade said.

“We always tell her that we love her and are lucky to be apart of her recovery.”

If everything works out and Welker is able to return to the court before her senior season comes to an end, ecstatic would be an understatement.

“It would be the best thing ever if I could play,” Welker said. “I’m being positive but I’m also being realistic so if I’m told I’m not playing again I’ve prepared myself.”

Welker knows the importance of her positive attitude and continues to keep her spirits high even through these tough times.

“I try to be positive, if I had a negative attitude it probably would be 20 times worse,” Welker said. “There’s a lot of things to be thankful for, obviously it’s still hard, but I’m really lucky in the end.”

Men’s basketball works to replace big scorers

The Ohio Wesleyan men’s basketball team will strive to compete for the NCAC crown this year despite the loss of an exceptional graduating class that included their top three leading scorers.

The Bishops will be looking to fill some holes this year as they will be returning only one starter from last year’s team, which finished second in the conference with a 13-5 record.

Sophomore Jon Griggs, who got some important minutes last year as a freshman, is not worried about the loss of some pivotal players.

“I think we will respond well even though we are losing some key players from last season,” Griggs said. “We have some experience coming back and we have a lot of versatility across the board.”

As one of two seniors on the team, Nick Felhaber, who averaged 15 minutes and six points last year as a go-to player off the bench wants to lead by example this year.

“I can be a leader by just giving it my all everyday at practice and for every drill we do,” Felhaber said. “Hopefully when the other guys see me giving 100 percent, they will do the same.”

The Bishops have been practicing for most of the school year gearing up for the season opener, Nov. 18 verse Kenyon College.

Griggs is happy with how the team has been performing so far.

“Practices have been going well. We have a lot of energy and our team chemistry is really good,” Griggs said.

The Bishops open up their season with four straight road games before coming home on Nov. 29 to play Defiance College in Branch Rickey Arena.

In the latest 2014-15 NCAC Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll, OWU was forecasted to finish 4th in the conference while the College of Wooster was picked to defend their title by a landslide. Wooster has also been ranked 4th in the latest national Division III News Preseason Poll.

OWU’s biggest test of the year will come December 3 when they play the talented Wooster squad.

The game will be a measurement to see how the team will stack up this year in conference play.

Swimmers prepare for NCAC meet

The men’s and women’s Ohio Wesleyan University swim teams have started their season with grueling early morning workouts and demanding weeks that include 15 hours of practice time.

Both the teams have started off their season 1-1 and are looking to get their first NCAC win this Saturday when they travel to Wittenberg.

Coach Dick Hawes said the team is gearing up for the season by focusing on the more minor, but still crucial, elements of swimming, like stroke technique, flip turns, starts and muscle conditioning.

“The start of our season focuses on kicking to get the larger muscle groups in shape and cut down on shoulder problems.” Hawes said.

“We have performed well with how tired they are at this point of the season.”

“We have been focusing on our turns and coming off our walls.”

Junior Andy Cumston said he is not phased by the early workouts or long practice hours as they are beneficial preparation.

“Morning practices help with building up our yardage for the drop at the end of the season.” Cumston said.

“It’s vital to stay energized by eating healthy, but also by making sure you are getting enough of your key nutrients and protein to help your body stay healthy so it can be ready for the next practice.”

Last year the women finished 8th in the conference and the men finished 6th. The NCAC has been known to be perhaps the strongest conference in Division III swimming.

Kenyon College, one of OWU’s biggest NCAC rivals, has won the NCAA National Championship 33 times out of the last 35 years.

Despite the tough competition, the teams believe in themselves to get better and improve on last season’s mark.

“The team feels confident in our abilities that we can focus on what we need to improve and become a stronger team.” Cumston said.

“It’s important to not swim against the other teams but to improve on your own personal times at each meet and to support your teammates.”