saraschneider – Page 2 – The Transcript

Rwandan genocide survivor speaks at OWU

For Immaculée Ilibagiza, a survivor of the 1994 Rwanda genocide, telling her story is of vital importance.

On Sept. 10, she discussed her book “Left To Tell” in Ohio Wesleyan’s Gray Chapel in front of hundreds of guests.

Ilibagiza’s book “recounts her struggle to find meaning and purpose after the horrific violence that killed nearly one million Tutsis,” according to the book’s description. Ilibagiza “hid with seven other women for 91 days inside a 3footby4foot bathroom during the violence.”

Ilibagiza also spoke on Sept. 11 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in downtown Delaware.

Ilibagiza has worked with the United Nations and has received five honorary doctoral degrees.

Among her many other accomplishments, she earned the Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Reconciliation and Peace in 2007 and has written seven books about her faith and life journey.

People from all over the Columbus area crowded alongside students in Gray Chapel to hear her speak. Columbus resident Birdie Weisenberger said, “Ilibagiza showed how humbling a simple relationship with God can be.”

Dorothy Tanner, another Columbus resident, said, “It was so inspiring to hear how someone with such a tough past and who has experienced such loss found something so great to get her through. I thought it was also really beneficial because you didn’t have to be a Catholic to understand her message.”

Throughout the talk, Ilibagiza explained the hardships she experienced and how she developed her relationship with God. Ilibagiza said, “One of the lessons I learned was that forgiveness is possible at all times. Another was the power of love; we take love so lightly, and what we lacked in our country was love. After the genocide I held love very close to my heart.”

“The last lesson was the power of prayer. Pray the rosary and to God everyday,” Ilibagize said.

“When we were going through the suffering, the worst feeling was to ask, ‘Why me, God? Why is this happening?’”

Ilibagiza demonstrated that one should always be thankful for the life they have and that her experience “shows you how short your time here is on earth.”

The events were free and concluded with book signings by Ilibagiza.

OWU grad returns for photography feature

William JanTausch, class of 1969, was not in Beeghly Library to return long-overdue books. It was his photography exhibition, “Forgotten Places,” that brought him back to campus.

According to exhibit information, “JanTausch’s photographs capture haunting images of local scenery, including an abandoned sawmill.”

The photos will be displayed Aug. 15 through Oct. 6 in Beeghly’s Gallery 2001. A reception with JanTausch will be held from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sept. 17, inside the gallery.

“JanTausch is a resident of Delaware, and has visited the Ross Art Museum for many exhibits,” said Tammy Wallace, assistant director of the Ross.

“There are two series on display [in the current exhibit]: the sawmill series, consisting of black and white photographs of an abandoned sawmill here in Delaware County, and the abandoned barn series, consisting of color and black and white photography of barns here in Delaware County.”

Though he expresses himself through photography, JanTausch is not a professional artist.

“Although my degree was in botanybacteriology, I spent the first twenty years of my career in traffic and distribution in the private sector,” said JanTausch.

“Then, in the 1990s, I purchased a few properties and have remained in the real estate and management field since. Ohio Wesleyan taught me to be a problem solver, to investigate and craft solutions and most importantly to ask Wallace said this event “can provide a respite from studying. It can inform, educate and delight. Some artwork can be controversial, spark conversations or encourage viewers to dig deeper into a subject.”

Admission to the exhibition is free.

Law enforcement heroes come to OWU, share their stories

Though no crime had been committed, on Aug. 17, hundreds of law enforcement officers from across the country arrived at sunny Ohio Wesleyan. As part of the second annual Leadership in Crisis conference, the officers discussed their work experiences in hopes of educating police forces around the country.

John DiFava, chief of police at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and one of the visiting officers, “served as the incident commander of the institution during the search of the Boston Marathon bombers who ultimately murdered MIT police officer Sean Collier,” according to an event pamphlet.

Michael Kehoe, “chief of police in Newtown, Connecticut,…was one of the first through the doors at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting,” was also in attendance.

“Each officer discussed the events they experienced, how they had to respond and what they have learned from those incidents,” said Public Safety officer Robert Wood.

According to Wood, “the presenters got the people who attend the event thinking about how they would respond if they encountered a similar tragedy.”

Wood organized the event and brought it to campus along with officer Tom Saccenti of Furman University’s university police.

Saccenti said, “This event was incredibly successful. We had a very large amount of people attend, and the feedback we received showed that so many people got a lot out of the conference.”

Saccenti said he would consider holding the event again in a different state so they could gather together people that have yet to attend the conference.

Trattoria is no more

When students start craving a late night pizza or sub, there won’t be anyone to call. Trattoria, the delivery food service previously operated out of Smith Dining Hall, is no longer catering to nighttime snackers.

Trattoria was open every night of the week until midnight. The service allowed students to use meal points to order food for delivery to their rooms.

Jeff Eden, class of 2011, said, “Trattoria was not renewed for a few reasons, both monetary and with regard to the actual operation.”

Eden began working as a cashier during his freshman year and continued through the next three years of college. Following graduation, he had the opportunity to take over the full operation of Trattoria.

“Trattoria wasn’t exactly the most profitable of the campus eateries and it was a university-led decision wherein money could be saved without making much of an impact on the campus at large,” Eden said. “As far as the operation itself was concerned, many were upset with the inconsistencies of our delivery service. Student interest in delivery participation has dwindled quite a bit over the years and many times we struggled to find willing teams.”

Gene Castelli, resident district manager for Chartwells said, “We were operating 10 separate [dining] locations, and for a campus of our size, that is not the norm. The decision to close a particular service was a long and thoughtful process. As part of this process, the savings generated will be refocused back into the dining program to improve service to students.”

According to Castelli, “One of the first benefits [of closing Trattoria] will be the late-night service at Stuy Café. We will be sourcing a Turbo Chef oven for Stuy. This will allow for students to have hot subs, similar to a Subway sandwich.”

Sophomore Hope Walls said, “I wasn’t happy when I heard Trattoria wasn’t going to be on campus this semester. It was always nice to be able to have food delivered right to your door and get to use your food points.”

“I am confident there will be continued discussion on this subject in the following weeks and look forward to interaction with students to ensure the program reflects what the students want and need in the best service model possible,” Castelli said.

New interactive whiteboard system available to students

Information Services (InfoSys) has bought a new innovative system which turns any wall into an interactive whiteboard.

This new system works with Mac or PC, and hooks up to almost any projector or HDTV, up to about 100 inches diameter.

OWU instructional technologist David Soliday said, “Interactive presentations promote more engaged learning. Using an interactive system, the instructor’s hands are on the display, rather than a computer or tablet. It also empowers collaboration, as students can come up and interact with the display in response to prompts or questions, or as part of group collaboration.”

Along with the interactive system is a pen that is used as a computer cursor to annotate and draw on the screen, which will be projected on the wall. These units cost about $149 each and can be used by professors and faculty on campus by contacting InfoSys.

These systems can be useful in the classroom to invigorate lessons, presentations or meetings.

According to the technologies website, “your drawings, gestures and highlights will all appear on the live image in real time. IS-01 is even compatible with a wide variety of software programs, meaning you’ll be able to control what’s on screen, just as if you were at the computer.”

Soliday said, the IPEVO IS-01 is more beneficial than Smart Board systems because, “the IPEVO IS-01 costs $149, whereas Smart Board systems can cost ten times that much. It’s also portable, so a department could have a unit that floats among the faculty. In fact, the Media Center is planning to purchase a couple to make available for borrowing.”

The education department is planning on purchasing a device for permanent installation in room 208.

“I am excited that this technology will be available for the university. It’s important that we keep up with the new systems that will improve the learning experience in the classrooms,” junior Mira Singhal said,

Soliday said he saw the IPEVO IS-01 being demonstrated at the Ohio Educational Technology Conference in February and was impressed by the concept and price. From there sales representatives offered to send a demo unit.

“IPEVO is a young company but they have a compelling product at a great price.” Soliday said. “These systems, and other IPEVO products, are gaining traction in primary schools, and I’m sure colleges will find the IS-01 appealing for its versatility and its price.”

Ta-Nehisi Coates shares his story

Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates. Photo courtesy of uchicagodc.org.

Award-winning writer and current senior editor and blogger for The Atlantic inspired students by discussing his ideas about writing.

As part of the David Osborne Lecture Series, funded by the English department, Ta-Nehisi Coates visited Ohio Wesleyan on April 21.

The series provides opportunities for first-year writing students and others to learn about some of the challenges of being a writer.

Coates is the author of The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood, which is a memoir of his childhood as a black American in Baltimore.

During the talk, Coates discussed how black American writers influence his writing. Coates said, “one of the most influential pieces of writing I encountered while growing up was James Baldwin.”

Coates said, “We didn’t get the chance to bear witness to the great American disputes that fought for our rights, and therefore I wanted to have a say in writing my own history and portraying the truth in the purest form.”

Coates explained that his need for writing “started with a need to do something and make a change.” A large majority of Coates writing discusses growing up as a black American and the challenges and lessons that came with it.

“It’s okay to be inspired by other people; it’s good to take literary inspiration from other things,” he explained to students.

The main focus of Coates’ presentation was explaining to students the importance of writing for the correct reasons and finding joy in writing. “I want students to share the romance or pleasure of writing and not focus on the business side of writing because you have to. I think a lot of people lose sight of the romance and pleasure of writing.”

Coates said he has “always had a love for reading and writing. I would cut class and go to the library.”

Students listen to Coates in the Benes Room. Photo courtesy of Sara Schneider.

“I often question why things are the way they are for African Americans today, this is what often drives a lot of my writing,” Coates said.

Senior Mariah Bockbrader said “It was inspiring to hear someone who is not only good at writing, but who makes writing his passion and his life. I could tell that he writes more for enjoyment than for his career. It was definitely a message that everyone needs to hear: writing is a beautiful process and shouldn’t be a dreadful prospect. We should be looking at our papers as a way to improve our writing and as a way to garner creativity.”

Coates was a unanimous decision to bring to campus. Assistant professor of English Nancy Comorau said, “the department has a meeting for possible speakers for the David Osborne Lecture Series. Because we had a little extra endowment money than usual, I brought him up in the meeting.”

From there Comorau “hunted down his agency and he luckily had time to come to campus.”

The Osborne Lecture Series is a common event geared towards freshman students in English 105. Comorau said “we hope these events brought to campus can help students think through their writing and the process.”

“Him being here spoke to a lot of different groups of students on campus. What he does and the conversation he has gets to the very spirit of liberal arts. It’s not just a question of appealing to everyone but appealing to different interests, but having them all connect,” Comorau said.

Following his visit to OWU, Coates headed to speak at Johns Hopkins University.

House of Cards on the hill?

On Feb. 1, 2013, Netflix premiered a political drama series, House of Cards. Starring as the gruesome politician, Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood, the series shows the corruption and immorality that awarded Underwood the top seat in the White House.

Throughout the release of the three seasons, every year the series has led many American viewers to question as to whether or not the corruption taken place in the show actually occurs in present day politics.

In the most recent season, released on Feb. 27, Frank Underwood, as president of the United States, engages in both domestic and foreign politics just as every American president would. However, Underwood’s motives in engaging in the situations he often finds himself in, makes you question his intentions and motives.

From past seasons, one could easily make the connection that Underwood does not always make decisions based on the best interest of the people of the United States, but rather for his own benefit. Now that he has reached his goal of becoming president (that is on the resignation of the past president), now what would keep him from doing the best thing for the American people, rather than for himself?

This has left many Americans questioning whether the corruption taking place in the series is viable to the politics in Washington, D.C. today and if there is any truth to the corruption.

Particularly as the 2016 presidential election quickly approaches, viewers constantly question the validity of what politicians spew as they try to make a convincing and lasting impression on the Americans who watch the many debates. Trying to decipher what is fact and fiction is the ultimate goals when listening to both the politicians speak in House of Cards and on the Hill in Washington D.C.

Although it is evident that corruption does take place in politics, how severe and prominent is this corruption? I have heard many people that currently work on The Hill say that they refuse to watch House of Cards because it is too similar to American politics.

When Beau Willimon produced House of Cards, was he re-creating scenarios from past experience or events? Or did he create them just from fiction? Whatever the answer may be, as Americans, it is our job to not fall into the traps many politicians lay for us. We must keep a straight mind and focus on the main objectives in politics and what is best for the United States.

Wil Haygood to speak at graduation

Wil Haygood. Photo courtesy of ohiodominican.edu.

The American journalist and author Wil Haygood is set to speak at Ohio Wesleyan’s commencement ceremony on Sunday, May 10.

Haygood was chosen by Ohio Wesleyan president, Rock Jones and senior class president, Elizabeth Fisher.

Haygood is known for his Washington Post article, “A Butler Well Served By This Election.” This article was about Eugene Allen and serves as the basis for the movie The Butler, which came out in 2013.

Haygood has covered many monumental events in history such as Hurricane Katrina, which hit Louisiana in 2005. He has also covered the presidential campaign of Barack Obama in 2008.

Since the release of the movie, Haygood has written a book about Allen, entitled The Butler: A Witness to History. His work is based on butlers that have served in the White House during different presidencies.

“He’s had a very exciting life so far, so I’m sure he will have an interesting speech and advice,” senior Sarah Dailey said.

Haygood was taken hostage by Somali rebels in 1990. He was rescued by troops from Pakistan and in that same year, he was outside the South African prison, which was housing Nelson Mandela. At that same time, Mandela was released.

“I am very excited to hear what he has to say,” senior Alex Thrasher said. “It seems as though he has had very interesting life experiences, and has made the most of them in a very positive way.”

As part of the ceremony, Haygood will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from OWU. The university saw this fit through his many personal and scholarly achievements.

“Wil Haygood is an amazing author and I am so glad that Ohio Wesleyan has chosen him to speak at graduation,” senior Ali Smith said. “I am looking forward to all that he has to say and the advice that he will share with us.”

The Vagina Monologues grapples with tough issues

A past Vagina Monologues logo. Photo courtesy of owu.edu.

A performance of The Vagina Monologues introduced students to topics on women and sex, gender identity, violence and relationships in a crowded Bishop Café on April 4.

The text was written by Even Ensler in the 1990s. “She went around and interviewed self-identifying women about what it meant to have a vagina, and compiled the numerous interviews of women from all walks of life into a book, into a script, into a show,” junior Margot Reed said. Reed was a director for the performance. She has participated in the event for the past two years.

“The purpose is not to choke feminist views or radical beliefs down anyone’s throats,” junior Alanna Spalsbury said. “It is relatable. It is meant for women who have gone through some of the things covered in the play to be able to speak out like ‘hey, I’ve been through the same,’ and not feel ashamed of it.”

This was Spalsbury’s first year participating in the The Vagina Monologues. She had a “monologue called ‘Reclaiming Cunt,’ which was a piece about using the word cunt not in the derogatory way, but instead to describe the vagina and all of its beautiful and unique features. It was my favorite piece for a long time, so being able to perform it was amazing.”

“Too much about women’s sexuality or abuse or identity in any way is oppressed because of today’s society, and I think this play sheds light on some of those tougher issues,” Spalsbury said.

Sophomore Emma Nuiry said the play “challenges the way we talk about our bodies involving the rhetoric and attitudes as well as societies expectations for our vaginas.” Nuiry was a director and a performer in the event.

According to Spalsbury, about 40-50 people attended the event.

“I think it went well. The crowd was lively which made it very easy to perform. It was a beautiful day and there was a great turnout,” Spalsbury said.

Modern foreign language department receives grant

The department of Modern Foreign Languages welcomes Douglas Bush, their first-ever Spanish Mellon Postdoctoral fellow.

Ohio Wesleyan, along with the other Ohio Five schools, has received a $2 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

“It has been a long and exciting process, one in which foreign language faculty members and administrators from the Five Colleges of Ohio, and in collaboration with The Ohio State University, met on several occasions in order to define the post-doc characteristics and potentials,” MFL department chair Juan Rojas said.

This grant is in place to add foreign language faculty through a post-doctorate fellow program and provides Mellon Postdoctoral Fellows at the Ohio Five Colleges. These faculty members are given two years at their appointed college.

“During the process we had meetings and seminars where many faculty members from the five universities shared ideas on how to enhance the teaching-learning process of foreign language, and to build faculty interest and expertise in the uses of blended learning pedagogies,” Rojas said.

Assistant professor of Spanish David Counselman said, “the postdoc will have the opportunity to help create events or other extracurricular opportunities, related to languages and/or their specific area of expertise.”

“Ohio Wesleyan University will benefit significantly from having, in the next four years, two foreign language Mellon Post-Doc fellowships because, besides fostering the academic career of the selected scholar who has recently obtained his Ph.D degree, it will bring new ideas, knowledge, and experience to our students,” said Rojas.

“Dr. Doug Bush, the selected Mellon fellow, will also have the opportunity to engage in an active liberal arts community for a two-year term as he will be teaching three courses per year.”

“A modern foreign languages Mellon Fellow Postdoctoral position is a unique possibility in academia as post-doctoral opportunities in the area of humanities are not very common,” Rojas added.

Junior Macie Maisel, said, “I am a Spanish major and hearing that the modern foreign languages department has received such a great opportunity is very exciting. This will help grow and expand the department and most likely improve the department.”