Author: sgpauley

Delaware’s potty problem

You may have flushed something in the toilet that supposedly cannot be flushed, but once it’s flushed, everything’s fine, right? Well not exactly.

Delaware, OH is experiencing the same problem the rest of the U.S. is facing: flushing unflushable products down the toilet which could damage homes as well as wallets too. The Upper Olentangy Water Reclamation Center has to work to fix this issue everyday. Wastewater managers Greg Doubikin and Bryan Livingston have seen the outcomes of Delaware residents flushing down objects that shouldn’t be flushed.

The items that the water reclamation center have to physically remove from the system to prevent damages are cloth, medications, condoms, tampons, plastics and even items that state they are flushable.

Pumps in the water reclamation center’s system were failing because of flushable wipes.

“They say they’re flushable but that doesn’t mean they will biologically breakdown,” Doubikin said. “It just means that they will physically fit down the toilet.”

When these pumps fail, the sewage can start to back up in peoples’ homes and get in their basements.

The Upper Olentangy Water Reclamation has started an outreach program to the city of Delaware by mailing out pamphlets out to residents. These pamphlets explain what items not to flush down the toilet, how to properly dispose of unwanted medication and proper trash disposal.

The medication being disposed of improperly is an issue in and of itself.

“If someone is taking or disposing of medication improperly, it theoretically could come all the way through the treatment plant, not be dealt with, and be back out in the river, which is going downstream and reaching the next water plant and go into your drinking water,” Doubikin said.

The time, effort, energy and money being spent to remove these unflushable items out of the pumps are costly. A pump that had to be repaired back in May costed $25,000. The money to repair these damages come from taxpayers. If they needed to completely replace that pump, it would cost $130,000.

“If that pump got destroyed because of something getting flushed down there and it had to be replaced, at the end of the day, it is taxpayers who are paying for it,” Doubikin said.

Ohio Wesleyan is contributing to the problem as well. Livingston has noticed the effects of Ohio Wesleyan students improperly disposing items down the toilet.

“Our flow definitely does increase during the school year,” Livingston said.

OWU housekeeper Don Sherman has to clean up from students’ careless flushings, he too has seen students failing to properly dispose of items.

“It’s usually tampons and paper towels that students are trying to flush down,” Sherman said. “But those items are not always flushing down.”

The Upper Olentangy Water Reclamation Center’s biggest issue are citizens flushing misleading “flushable” products, which are building up in pumps and causing wear and tear.

The Pittsburgh tragedy impacts family of former OWU student

By Spencer Pauley, Managing Editor

sgpauley@owu.edu

The shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue on Oct. 27 impacted the lives of individuals, families, a city, and an entire nation.

It was a Saturday morning when an assailant by the name of Robert Bowers came into the Tree of Life and killed 11 people attending. Making this incident the deadliest attack in the Jewish community in United States history.

Two of those victims were relatives of Ohio Wesleyan alum, Rebecca Sufrin. Sufrin lost her cousin, Daniel Stein and Melvin Wax, the father of another cousin of her’s. Sufrin’s family is from Pittsburgh and they had been involved members of the Tree of Life for three generations.

That Saturday would be an emotional day for Sufrin. She had driven through Squirrel Hill, the area where the Tree of Life synagogue resides that morning prior to the shooting. She then received a text notifying her of an active shooter.

“I was shocked and confused,” Sufrin said. “I was asking myself, ‘how could this be?’”

Sufrin drove home in a panic, Stein was the first person she and her family were concerned about. Sufrin met up with her sister and watched the TV waiting for more information. Hours went by without any information on Stein. So Sufrin and her family drove to the Stein residence to meet with his wife and children.

“We were just trying to surround the family with love and support,” Sufrin said.

It was late that Saturday night when the FBI finally came to the house to deliver the news to the Stein residence: Daniel Stein was a victim of the shooting at the Tree of Life. Stein’s family was one of the last to be contacted regarding the status of the victims.

Chaplain Jon Powers went on a mission trip to Pittsburgh in 2016 with a mission team. Sufrin was one of the hosts of that trip. Powers is partnering with Ben Gelber, the weatherman for NBC4 in Columbus and the leader of the Klezmer concert group, to offer a benefit concert on Nov. 26 in the Bennes room.

“The event would be held in sacred memory of those who lost their lives last Shabbat morning and to bless Becca [Sufrin] and her family,” Powers said.

It’s been two weeks since the shooting in Pittsburgh. The community of the city has been surreal, according to Sufrin.

“I have the best community,” Sufrin said. “It has been surreal to see billboards on every big corner and people raising money at their businesses.”

Sufrin graduated from OWU in 2014. Despite it being four years since her time as a student, she has seen support from her former classmates recently.

“I have had numerous OWU friends send flowers and care packages,” Sufrin said. “I’m eternally grateful for the friendships I’ve made at OWU.”

Remembering the legacy of former Provost David Robbins

 

By Spencer Pauley, Managing Editor

sgpauley@owu.edu

Former Provost David Robbins’ death came on Sept. 30, but despite his departure from this world, Robbins left a legacy at Ohio Wesleyan.

Robbins’ death came at the age of 75 due to pancreatic cancer. He was at the Grady Memorial Hospital at the time of his death.

Robbins was a part of the psychology department since 1973. During his time at OWU, Robbins received a few awards, including the Sherwood Dodge Shankland Award for Encouragement of Teachers in 1980 and the Bishop Herbert Welch Meritorious Teaching Award in 1994. He was also awarded an Honorary Alumnus from Ohio Wesleyan in 2008. Professor of Physics and Astronomy Barbara Andereck worked with Robbins for many years and remembered how much the honorary degree meant to Robbins.

“It’s not a common thing for faculty members to be named [honorary alumnus] but it was because he contributed so much to the institution,” Andereck said. “And I know that meant a lot to him, he valued that because he felt strongly about this institution.”

Robbins helped develop the neuroscience program at OWU which was named after him in 2011 as the “David O. Robbins Neuroscience Program.”

Robbins was provost of OWU from 2005 to 2011. He started off as interim provost for a year because of his experience in the University Governance Committee. Andereck was a part of the Governance Committee along with Robbins. She remembers Robbins specifically saying that he would be Provost for a year, but that was it. But after some persuasion, Robbins became the provost.

The current provost of OWU, Dr. Chuck Stinemetz, remembers Robbins’ advice to him as he took over the position.

“I remember David [Robbins] telling me ‘every decision I make is in the best interest of the students,” Stinemetz said.

Stinemetz believed Robbins was always looking out for others. “He had a very long and deep understanding of the institution,” Stinemetz said. “A real commitment to the students.”

Robbins became interim president of OWU after Mark Huddleston’s departure from that role in 2007. His time in that role lasted only till the following year but major donations came in that time span.

“He was a very effective interim president because we had money that was given to the university under his leadership, which is quite unusual [for an interim president],” Andereck said.

President Rock Jones said that Robbins had an enormous impact on him when he was hired and during his first years as president.

“He always was honest and trustworthy, and he was especially helpful in my early years in orienting me to OWU and to the values and customs of this university,” Jones said. “I benefited from his candor and from his wise counsel as well as his sense of humor and his great love for OWU.”

The memorial service for Robbins was held on Oct. 4 in Delaware. Robbins is survived by his wife, Janice Robbins and his two daughters Cynthia and Karen Robbins.

Death of student brings students and staff together in remembrance

 

By Spencer Pauley, Managing Editor

sgpauley@owu.edu

The loss of an Ohio Wesleyan student to suicide caused staff, faculty and students to come together in a candlelight service in remembrance of Hollis Morrison.

Morrison’s death came unexpectedly on Oct. 2. According to an email sent out by OWU president Rock Jones, Morrison passed away while in his home in Bidwell, OH.

Morrison was an exceptional student during his time at OWU. Morrison made the Dean’s List with a 3.6 G.P.A. last year, his freshman year. However, he was not enrolled in classes for the fall semester of 2018.

Morrison also was really into basketball according to his obituary; he played guard for Ohio Valley Christian High School in Gallipolis until he graduated in 2017. His love for basketball transcended into his younger brother, Myles. Morrison’s obituary states: “[Morrison] got his little brother Myles into basketball and pushed him everyday to do his best. Myles was proud to call him his best friend and ultimately his big brother.”

The candlelight service in honor of Morrison was held at the Labyrinth on Oct. 26. OWU student Scott Hughes set up the service in honor of his best friend since first grade. Hughes talked about what Morrison meant to him.

“We talked everyday since we knew each other, from the first day of the first grade until we got to college together,” Hughes said.

Even after they started taking classes at OWU, Morrison and Hughes made it a point to keep in regular contact.

“We had to see each other at least once or twice before or in between classes,” Hughes said. “We would meet up right here [at the labyrinth] just to see each other, just to be brothers.”

But the meetings Morrison and Hughes had would become less common after the death of Morrison’s father in June and his grandmother’s death as well.

Assistant Dean Charles Kellom spoke during the service about the frustration he feels on the limitations on helping someone who is struggling mentally.

“I got to see [Morrison] in his last few days,” Kellom said. “He came by our office and as a staff person we go through all this training to help students out of these situations and it just sucks to have to hold on to the truth that there is only so much you can do.”

Psychology Professor Lynda Hall was Morrison’s adviser. Hall drove some OWU students to Morrison’s funeral service in Gallipolis on Oct. 10. She remembers seeing so many people come to pay their respects.

“It’s amazing how many people were there. I think it’s possible his entire senior class was there,” Hall said. “It’s very clear that he had connected with all kinds of people.”

Morrison’s obituary states that “Hollis was the humblest being and very outgoing, anyone that crossed his path saw Hollis with the biggest smile on his face. Hollis could make anyone laugh and was the funniest person you ever came across and was an influence on many people’s lives. Hollis will be deeply missed by everyone who had entered his life.”

Morrison is survived by his grandfather, Kenneth Calhoun, and his brothers, Tru and Myles Morrison.

 

Climate change report explained by OWU professors

By Spencer Pauley, Managing Editor

sgpauley@owu.edu

Much is being made of the fifth assessment report that has come from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) regarding an urgency to limit our planet’s increasing global warming, professors at OWU have been studying the effects of an increasingly warming climate.

This report is drawing more attention than previous ones coming from the IPCC because it puts a date of 2030 to 2040 on costly changes to our way of living and focuses on what it means to have an overall 1.5 degrees Celsius warming of our planet. 

There’s a chance that our planet could increase temperatures to 2 degrees Celsius

As of now, our planet is at 1 degree Celsius over pre-industrial levels. The report says there is almost no way of avoiding 1.5 degrees at this time, and to keep it to that requires major efforts politically, economically and socially.

Professor of mathematics, Craig Jackson, is not confident that our planet will limit its increasing global warming to 1.5 degrees.

“I’m not optimistic and the reason why is because this is a really, really hard problem. It’s not the problem that can be solved by one or two or three powerful nations. Every nation has to be involved in this,” Jackson said.

Professor of botany and microbiology, Laurel Anderson, teaches courses that all deal with climate change in one way or another. She too is not optimistic of a limit of a 1.5 degree increase in temperature.

“We have the technology to make this change, but we lack the political will. I don’t think it is impossible, but we need to take a radically different approach to generating and using energy than we do right now,” Anderson said

Large issue may arise from a global warming of 1.5 degrees: food security, drought and floods, poverty and coral ecosystems. These problems can be even more devastating at an overall warming of 2 degrees Celsius.

Coral loss is a big issue currently because they are being threatened right now due to ocean acidification. With a global average of 1.5 degrees increase, the IPCC is expecting a 70 to 80 percent decline in corals worldwide. And if the planet gets to 2 degrees warmer, it could be up to a 99 percent decrease of coral ecosystems, which could cause mass extinction events.

“Corals are a huge part of certain ecosystems, they are the reef builders. These corals build the habitats for many other fish and drive huge tourism to places like Australia and various islands in the Pacific as well as fishing in many places,” Jackson said. “There’s kind of a domino effect on losing these corals.”

Geography professor Nathan Amador Rowley focused his research throughout his collegiate years on polar climate. With his background on polar climate, Amador Rowley has seen an increase in temperatures in the polar regions.

Amador Rowley teaches a class on climate change in the Geography department at OWU in which they look at the IPCC reports. Their papers come together on what we know currently regarding. Amador Rowley tells students that weather is happening day to day, climate change is a 30 year average.

“When we’re talking about climate change, one thing to keep in mind is that it’s not a specific event, it’s not a hurricane, it’s not landslides. This is a 30 year average,” Amador Rowley said.

Ohio and the midwestern states invest heavily in agriculture and in the short term are benefitting from this because farmers now can start growing crops earlier and harvest longer. Parts of midwest have 2 growing seasons which means more food, but this is only seen as a short term benefit. Over long term, growing season will grow northward. By 2100 this will not be the case anymore.

What may be confusing is that the increase of 1.5 degrees is not uniform, that number represents an average increase in warmth across the globe. Amador Rowley puts this in an example students may be more familiar with: OWU average GPA’s go from 3.4 to 3.5 but there can be more students with 1.0 GPA’s but are offset by the increase in people that have 4.0’s. The same thing is happening with our planet’s climate. So 1.5 is very global. The tropics are already hot so it won’t get much hotter, but the arctic is very cold so it’s easier to transfer energy outward.

“The magic number when it comes to arctic climate is zero degrees. Anything below zero degrees Celsius, you have ice. Once you’re above zero degrees, you start melting.” Amador Rowley said.

Amador Rowley also cautions people on the alarmism that comes with a rise in sea level Water expands when warmer. Coastal locations in the United States such as Florida are not close to Greenland but melted ice will increase water levels in between the two regions. However, it would take over 500 years for Greenland to melt and for Florida to be completely flooded.

“I’m not necessarily worried with sea level rise because Greenland’s melting, but yes, every little inch of ice melting matters,” Amador Rowley said.

Author discusses his book on an instance of African-American athletic success during times of segregation

 

By Spencer Pauley, Managing Editor

sgpauley@owu.edu

 

Amongst the racial turbulence going on in Columbus, OH in 1968, an all-black school on the eastside was able to win state championships in basketball and baseball in the same year. This was the subject of OWU’s guest speaker: Author Wil Haygood.

Haygood is best-known for writing the book “The Butler: A Witness to History,” which would go on to be adapted into a critically-acclaimed movie. His newest book, “Tigerland,” is about East High School’s varsity teams winning state titles during a time when segregation was still prevalent in the U.S.. Haygood was 13 in 1968 when East High won two state titles. He talked about what he remembered from that time:

“My most vivid memories were of tanks that were circling the neighborhood and national guard troops,” Haygood said. “It was a scary time for little Wil Haygood; he wanted to be the man of the house, but when you hear shots in the night, that lead to nightmares.”

OWU graduate, Gregory Moore ‘76, proceeded to sit down with Haygood in front of the audience in Ham-Will and ask questions regarding his newest book. Haygood and Moore knew each other from when they both worked at the Boston Globe. Haygood talked about the difficulties and issues that the players and coaches had to go through as a result of the segregation at the time.

President Rock Jones also talked at the presentation, mentioning that one of the players mentioned in “Tigerland” has roots to Ohio Wesleyan.

“‘Tigerland’ features an Ohio Wesleyan graduate as one of the principal participants in that story. Coach Bob Hart who was the basketball coach at Columbus East High School,” Jones said. “Hart graduated from Ohio Wesleyan in 1949 after having completed military service in World War II.”

Hart’s widow, Millie Hart, and three daughters were present at the presentation and received applause from the audience. Also in attendance was the East High title-winning baseball coach, Paul Pennell.

Moore ended the discussion with Haygood with one final question: Out of winning a state title in basketball and baseball, which one was the greater feat?

“The greater feat to me would have to be baseball and here’s why: That was a game that not very many black americans played.” Haygood said.

Haygood did note that when the basketball team won in 1968-1969, they had also done so in the previous year, which he believes was a feat of its own.

“Tigerland” is Haygood’s 8th book published and is available now for purchase.

Author Comes All the Way from Italy to Give Presentation to OWU Students

By Spencer Pauley, Managing Editor

 

Fat and fascism, those two things don’t seem to go together at first, but author Karima Moyer-Nocchi proved otherwise with a presentation on Sept. 19.

Moyer-Nocchi’s presentation was specifically on the influence of food during the fascist era. She talked about how nostalgia is used in selling Italian food. She calls it a “gastronomic time-travel.”

“The indulgences for this gastronomic time-travel comes with a price. One that has us shovel seven, nine, and 11 dollars for a small bag of beans while seemingly similar beans lacking the romantic biography cost just one dolla,” Moyer-Nocchi said.

But the time these packages refer to is actually seen as a lowlight in Italian history: the Mussolini-runned era of Italy. Moyer-Nocchi traveled throughout Italy to talk with 18 women who lived during this era and asked them for their opinions on food and what it was like during that time. Her conversations with these women built up to her book “Chewing the Fat: An Oral History of Italian Foodways from Fascism to Dolce Vita.”

Moyer-Nocchi’s presentation also extended into Italy now and how they react to their history of fascism. Many Italians avoid bringing up the subject and it takes a toll on family life; they avoid discussions on it with their older relatives who lived during the Mussolini era.

“Families tend to not listen to their old people, there is a silencing going on.” Moyer-Nocchi said. “So when there’s a researcher coming into their house that wanted to hear their stories, there were finally family members around listening to their story and in the spotlight.”

Moyer-Nocchi is an author, but is also a tenured professor at the University of Siena, located in Italy. Along with “Chewing the Fat: An Oral History of Italian Foodways from Fascism to Dolce Vita,” Moyer-Nocchi is releasing a new book, “The Eternal Table: A Cultural History of Food in Rome,” in March, 2019.

Professor of health and human kinetics, Christopher Fink, introduced Moyer-Nocchi before her presentation. After it was finished he wrapped it up with some suggestions for student in the health and human kinetics field.

“This spring we’re going to be doing a project as well so if (food and fascism) sounds like something for you, you’ll have the freedom to use this for it,” Fink said.

Bishops Claw Their Way to First Win

          By Spencer Pauley, Managing Editor

Sometimes it never hurts to just kick the field goal, as is the case for the OWU Battling Bishops who pulled out a win against the Wooster Fighting Scots with a game-winning field goal.

The Battling Bishops held their first home game of the season on Sept. 15 and had it dedicated to Coach to Cure MD, a partnership dedicated to raising awareness of the muscle disorder called Duchenne. Despite the offense not scoring a touchdown the whole game, OWU won 9 – 7.

All of the Battling Bishops’ points came from Kicker Philhower. Philhower went 3-3 with the 27 yard game-winning field goal with only 18 seconds left. Kickers need ice in their veins for high-pressured kicks like that and it seemed like Philhower had it for the entire game.

“When you go out there, your legs get numb, a lot goes through your head, you just gotta kick it.” Phillhower said.

OWU Quarterback Jax Harville had a moderately successful game despite getting sacked nine times by the Wooster defense. He completed 63 percent of his passes for a total of 216 yards. However, the offense’s biggest plays came from receivers Deji Adebiyi and Aaron Fields II. Both receivers combined for 107 yards and some key plays of theirs lead to the game-winning field goal.

Adebiyi would end up going to the hospital after the game due to dehydration. What will he do to improve for the next game?

“Drink a little more water, avoid cramps for sure,” Adebiyi said.

The OWU defense was able to limit Wooster to only seven points for the whole game. Sophomore Cody Streit lead the Battling Bishops with 11 total tackles.

Head Coach Tom Watts was satisfied with how the game went, especially his players’ effort.

“A win’s a win. It’s awesome. I’m proud of the guys, they played their hearts out,” Watts said. “They played four quarters, you couldn’t ask for much more.”

When it comes to the yearly matchups with Wooster, Watts sees a consistently competitive game every time.

“It’s always a good game between us. It’s always back and forth,” Watts said. “It’s the fun part about playing in the NCAC.”

The Battling Bishops (1-2) will travel to Meadville, Pennsylvania on Sept. 22 to play the Allegheny Gators (1-2).

Cafe Space Plans Have Been Set

 

 

    By Spencer Pauley, Managing Editor

 

Due to the Stewart Annex being repurposed, the cafe space in Beeghly Library will now be the temporary meeting space for the Honors Program of Ohio Wesleyan.

Planning for the space will be done throughout the fall semester and the renovation will be done during the mid-semester break to minimize disruption. At some point during the spring semester, the space will finally be ready for the Honors Program to use.

The Beeghly Library was chosen for the new Honors Program location mainly because of its 24/7 access for students. Amy McClure, a member of the Honors Board and professor of education, is looking forward to a designated space for the program members.

“We are looking forward to having the space walled off so that it is truly a designated space,” McClure said. “The space will be used for quiet studying, honor society initiations, meetings, small group discussion with speakers who come to campus and other honors-related events and activities.”

Various locations on campus were being considered, but the Beeghly Cafe was chosen in the end. Brian Rellinger, associate provost for academic support, says that with all the changes of services going on at OWU, the staff members of the libraries, Honors Program and others deserve credit for making the transitions seamless.

As for the cafe itself, Rellinger says that there are solutions in place:

“The Bashford Lounge, which is attached to the cafe, will still remain accessible 24/7 to all students and all equipment and services available in the cafe have been shifted to the lounge,” Rellinger said. “New vending machines have also been added to the space for all to use.”

The change to the cafe space is not the only renovation Beeghly Library saw. During summer break, a meditation and reflection space was added to the third floor, the front steps and patio were repaired, a quad of Apple computers were added, and the restrooms received a fresh coat of paint. The library will also have its cooling towers replaced during mid-semester break.

Dividers for the cafe space will be put up in Beeghly Library later this semester.

New York Arts Program Under New Director

By Spencer Pauley, Managing Editor

An Ohio Wesleyan managed program based in New York has new goals set in mind with its new interim director.

The New York Arts Program was led by director Linda Earle for 10 years. But on July 1 of this year, that changed. Earle moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to be a part of the faculty at the Tyler School of Art, which is a part of Temple University.

Emilie Clark is serving as interim director of the New York Arts Program after Earle’s departure. Clark had been teaching at the program for 14 years before she was appointed director. Clark is excited to improve the program after working side by side with Earle.

“I learned a lot from Linda during her time here,” Clark said. “When Linda left, it gave opportunity for me to put things in place that could enhance the program.”

Clark and the rest of the members of the New York Arts Program have set two initiatives: regain continuity with alums and build relationships with faculty members of the Great Lakes College Association (GLCA), which Ohio Wesleyan and many other North Coast Athletic Conference schools are a part of. These initiatives were set after a growing interest in improving a sense of community. Clark said that students in the program rarely got to interact with all the other students outside of their specific program within the New York Arts Program.

To change this, the program has set up more events to create more opportunities for interaction. The initiatives have influenced what these programs are about. For instance, with the goal of regaining continuity with alums, the program has created events that have alums come in and showcase themselves and what they do with their careers.

As for the goal of building relationships within the GLCA, the program has set up events where faculty members that are a part of the GLCA come and give a lecture for program members.

The associate director of the New York Arts Program, Susan Childrey, said that despite a new director, the program’s main goal remains the same.

“The [New York Arts’] goal has always been helping artists come to New York and gain cultural experience,” Childrey said.

Clark can attest with what Childrey said. She believes that the core of this program is healthy and exciting. When students join the program, they change at a real rapid pace during their time there.

“People [gain] experience from living in an urban environment like New York City,” Clark said.

Five students from OWU are attending the New York Arts Program this semester and will be the first group under the direction of Clark.