sgpauley – Page 2 – The Transcript

WCSA 2018-19 leaders elected

By Spencer Pauley, Copy Editor

After a close election race, Ohio Wesleyan will have its first black female student body president: Cara Harris.

Harris and vice president-elect Peyton Hardesty said they are ready to start the next semester with more emphasis on student involvement.

“We really want to allow students to vote on the weekly specials for Ham-Will,” Harris said.

The reason for this being that dining service is a primary concern for students at OWU. By allowing students to have more say on the food they’re being offered, it may help improve the student satisfaction with dining services.

Harris and Hardesty said they want to see more sustainability with efforts to make OWU more environmentally-friendly. Harris said she thinks one good way to do that is by taking a few days per week to only use green containers at Ham-Will.

“I think only 10 percent of the containers that we have purchased through WCSA are in rotation, and those are really low numbers,” Harris said. “So I think that if people are forced to use them, then they could see how easy it is to turn them in and get their points back.”

The exact number of days in which the green containers would be the only option are possibly two to three a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Besides Ham-Will dining changes being considered, Hardesty said they want to see less trash being created through the cafe options.

According to Hardesty, the average college student gets two to four coffee drinks a day, and most of the time, they’re throwing the material away afterward. One problem that is getting in the way of allowing students to use reusable coffee mugs is the Chartwells staff itself.

“I’ve had multiple encounters with Chartwells employees where they’re saying that it’s a health concern for using our own mugs because it might be dirty,” Hardesty said.

So the solution Hardesty said they are considering is either better communication with dining services next semester to allow students to use reusable mugs or encourage the university to invest in reusable coffee cups, similar to the green containers in Ham-Will.

Harris and Hardesty are preparing to change how WCSA meetings are run as well. Instead of having one legislative day per month, Harris is proposing having two legislative days a month and another two days for reports and brainstorming for the whole senate.

“I feel like you don’t get to know everybody in full senate, you only get to know your committee members because you are the ones meeting weekly and biweekly,” Harris said.

Additionally, Hardesty said they believe that new members of WCSA might not understand the language used in the meetings so the messages are not received by everyone.

To fix this problem, Hardesty wants to dedicate time to educate members on the language being used.

“I feel that if we can incorporate learning how to do something internally like learn how to draft a bill for 10 minutes, then now there’s no more excuses for offering ideas,” Harris said.

By allowing time dedicated to learning how to effectively be a part of WCSA, Harris and Hardesty said they hope to see more members bring their ideas to meetings for discussions. With Harris and Hardesty winning the election, expect to see more student involvement to be considered.

Note: The print and digital version of this article used incorrect pronouns for Peyton Hardesty. This version of the article has been updated to correct the mistake.

Tuition to increase by 2.4 percent

By Spencer Pauley, Copy Editor

Students at Ohio Wesleyan will start spending a little more money out of pocket next year because of a 2.4 percent increase in tuition.

Recently, it was decided at a Board of Trustees meeting that OWU would increase the yearly tuition from $44,430 to $45,500. They looked at the consumer price index of all urban consumers, which went up by 1.9 percent.

They also looked at OWU’s competitors, which includes private universities that students have applied to in addition to OWU.

OWU and its competitors saw college pricing go up by 3.6 percent on average last year.

Lauri Strimkovsky, vice president for finance and administration and treasurer, said the university has been trying to limit tuition increase over the years.

“Over time, we have really tried to keep the percentage increase as low as possible,” Strimkovsky said. “But the world around us changes and so the things we’re paying for go up around us, so it’s not possible to keep tuition static.”

Increasing tuition at OWU is not new for the university. But President Rock Jones said this year’s increase is small compared to ones in the past.

“This year’s increase is one of the smallest in the last 40 years and reflects the impact of inflation on our ability to provide the educational experiences our students and their families expect,” Jones said.

Junior Masai Tate said he is frustrated about the decision.

“I’ve struggled paying for college the past three years here,” Tate said. “I’m left wondering if this increase will prevent me from continuing studying [at OWU] next year.”

With the tuition increase, the Financial Aid staff plans on making sure students can afford to study at OWU.

“The Office of Financial Aid will continue to work with students and families to assist with their financial planning and their needs for financing an OWU education,” Jones said.

Bishops upset nationally ranked Wabash Little Giants

By Spencer Pauley, Copy Editor

It took 28 years, but Ohio Wesleyan’s football team finally beat the Wabash Little Giants, and did it against many odds.

On Oct. 14, the Battling Bishops traveled to Crawfordsville, Indiana and beat a Wabash team that was ranked 18th in the country prior to the game. OWU beat Wabash 16-13.

OWU football head coach Tom Watts gives credit to the defense for stepping up and not allowing an offensive touchdown by the Little Giants.

“Our defense has played unbelievably, they’ve played lights out,” Watts said.

Leading the OWU defense was safety Brad Brodeck and linebacker Cameron Smith. Brodeck had 13 tackles and a sack, while Smith had 11 tackles, two for a loss.

Offensively, OWU racked up 289 yards passing from Brian Berry. Wideout Deji Adebiyi led the team with 98 yards receiving. The one touchdown from OWU came from Berry to wideout Hunter Baker.

“Offensively, we’re really starting to click a little bit, which is nice to see,” Watts said.

Kyle Hogan, defensive end for OWU, racked up two blocked field goal attempts, which helped OWU stay in the lead over the ranked Little Giants. This earned Hogan a spot on D3football.com’s team of the week.

While the Battling Bishops were considered underdogs for the game, members of the team thought differently.

“We kept saying all week ‘shock everyone but ourselves,’” Smith said. “It gives us a lot of confidence moving forward because we’ve seen that we can play along with top level teams.”

The football team overcame a lot of adversity throughout the game week. The team bus even broke down and they had to wait for a new one.

“It was pretty neat to see our kids be resilient and overcome the adversity,” Watts said.

The Battling Bishops will face rivals Denison Big Red on Oct. 21 at 2 p.m. for OWU’s homecoming game. A win against a ranked team can provide momentum that the Battling Bishops need to defeat their rivals.

“A big win can go two ways; it can be a hangover for some teams or use it as an opportunity to take it to the next step,” Watts said.

The team believes they’re ready for the next step.

“We’ve known we’re good and we can play like this, now we’ve proved it,” Smith said. “We just gotta keep doing it.”

UCLA professor headlines lecture series

By Spencer Pauley, Copy Editor

A UCLA professor’s lecture about Ulysses S. Grant restored his status from an American myth to an American hero.

Joan Waugh, a prize-winning Civil War author and professor of history at UCLA, was the guest speaker at this year’s Richard W. Smith lecture on Sept. 28. The lecture has been an annual event held in honor of former Ohio Wesleyan professor Richard W. Smith.

Waugh has published essays and written books specializing in the Civil War. Waugh’s prize-winning book on Ulysses S. Grant, titled U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth, was discussed in more detail at the lecture.

Before Waugh talked about Grant, she pointed out that she sat in on classes and was impressed with OWU students.

“I have to say [the students] are a great bunch,” Waugh said. “You should be proud of your students and those who are students should be proud to be at this university.”

Waugh discussed Grant and talked about several lesser known facts about Grant. Grant was revered by mid-19th century Americans because of his humble background. He was considered the most popular American for most of the late 1800s. His grave site was even New York City’s most popular tourist site up until the 1920s.

The one point Waugh made about Grant was that he was ahead of his time in the support of African American rights.

“Grant proved to be a strong supporter of African-American civil rights,” Waugh said. “He had far more commitment to African-Americans than people in the north were willing to give.”

“[Ulysses S. Grant] proved to be a strong supporter of African-American civil rights. He had far more commitment to African-Americans than

people in the north were willing to give.”

Joan Waugh, professor of history at UCLA.

Dave Papoi ‘65 attended Waugh’s lecture. He has gone to the past Richard W. Smith lectures and enjoyed this year’s.

“She pretty well followed many of the ideas of her book, which is good,” Papoi said. “I think she was very effective.”

The lecture was presented by the Richard W. Smith endowed fund.

WCSA Today: Freshman class retains right to vote in their first semester

By Spencer Pauley, Copy Editor

After much debate among members of the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs, first-year and transfer students who are a part of the student government will continue to have voting power on bills and amendments during their first semester on WCSA.

For three weeks, senators discussed the bill, proposed by senior Ryan Bishop, that would restrict first-year students from voting during their first semester. In the end, the bill was not passed.

The freshman class cannot have representatives in their first semester, but are still able to have a say in any proposed amendments.

Senior Robert Gossett said he believes that despite not having any representatives, the class’ opinion still matters.

“Not allowing [freshmen] to vote, that is essentially silencing their opinion,” Gossett said.

There are members of WCSA who have been a part of meetings and discussions since they were freshmen and believe strongly in having that class’ opinion be valuable.

Junior Michael Sheetz, WCSA vice president, is one of those members. He said he doesn’t think students should be limited by other students, no matter their graduating year.

“What I care about is us standing with our morals and principles, and mine are telling me that it’s not OK to restrict our student of body when we are the student of body, simple as that,” Sheetz said.

Junior Caroline Hamlin, secretary, agreed with Sheetz.

“OWU is built on the idea of being involved and having an impact in what you say,” Hamlin said. “When I was a freshman, I felt that being able to vote was what made it most special for me because I was heard.”

So for the foreseeable future, students of all class years will still have a say in WCSA meetings.

Additionally, a bill that would allocate $175 toward a punching bag in the Welch gym, proposed by junior Armando Polizzi and sophomore Maxwell Aaronson, did not pass. Though the bill didn’t pass, it had roughly 40 percent of the vote count.

“This bill was voted down partly on fiscal conservationism and partly on what some took as logistical messiness,” said senior Chris Dobeck, WCSA president.

Ed Lenane appointed as chair of Staff Council

By Spencer Pauley, Copy Editor

Ohio Wesleyan’s staff has a voice through the Staff Council, which provides a platform to present ideas that will benefit OWU as a whole.

The council, which was formed in 2014, has been working hard to benefit staff members at OWU. From the time it first formed, the council has discussed topics ranging from salaries and insurance, to staff handbooks. But the main aspect the Staff Council works on is employee satisfaction.

Ed Lenane, the newly appointed chair of Staff Council, said he knows how important satisfaction among employees is to success.

“We all love OWU, but there are always challenges, so we host welcome back picnics and recognition luncheons,” Lenane said.

A new way the Staff Council is trying to improve employee satisfaction is through a newsletter that goes out to all staff members quarterly. The first issue was released in August and the council penned a note to the staff on the front page.

“Our hope is that each of you will participate by sending us news and stories that everyone can enjoy and benefit from,” according to the note. “Through this fun, casual communique, you will meet new employees and have a chance to say goodbye to others.”

One way this newsletter gives recognition to employees is through a piece titled “It’s all about OWU.” This gives a profile of staff members, including their history and what they do for the university. The most recent issue featured Rev. Jon Powers.

Last semester, the Staff Council announced official members, including Ed Lenane as chair. But there are a total of 16 members of the Staff Council that head departments such as enrollment management, academic affairs, student affairs, finance and administration and university advancement.

Director of Human Resources Scott Simon is a member of the Staff Council. He helped develop the new structure of the Staff Council that now has official members. With this change, the meetings have fostered more discussions among staff members.

“One thing I tried to bring was some organization and function to [the Staff Council] so that it wasn’t really a [President] Rock Jones-oriented meeting,” Simon said. “It was really the staff taking ownership for Staff Council and running it.”

Simon also said he was excited to have Lenane take leadership as Chair of the Council and believes that he is a perfect fit to lead the Staff Council toward the goal of employee satisfaction.

Dan’s Deli coupon bill passes

By Spencer Pauley, Copy Editor

With the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs’ help, students will now receive coupons they can use at Dan’s Deli in the near future.

WCSA members discussed this issue at the last two meetings, held Sept.18 and Sept. 25, to determine whether or not to pass a bill that would allocate $1,500 toward Dan’s Deli coupons.

The coupons will take three dollars off of a purchase. In the end, the bill passed and WCSA will fund two out of the three dollars for every coupon. The bill was introduced by Public Safety (PS) in an effort to increase the safety among students late at nights and to prevent causing disturbance within the Delaware community on weekends.

Because Dan’s Deli is a prime spot for students on weekend nights, PS chose the food truck for a collaborative business. PS Director Robert Wood spoke to WCSA members about the bill at the full senate meeting.

“The idea is to try and keep students on our property where we think they’re safer,” Wood said. “We’ve had one fatality and one very serious injury that have occurred … on late nights off our property.”

There have been several issues specifically with Spring Street. Wood said students will cause more trouble there than anywhere else in Delaware on the weekends.

“We’ve had a lot of issues with students walking up and down Spring Street with trash and arrests [have also occurred] because they’re upsetting the neighbors,” Wood said.

A bill that would allocate $175 towards a punching bag in the Welch gym was pushed to be discussed in the WCSA meeting next week.

Junior Armando Polizzi and sophomore Maxwell Aaronson, who proposed this resolution, told WCSA members what the bag would do.

“The bag would attract more students to go and workout and stay active,” Polizzi said. One of the questions brought up about the bill were whether the bag would be used by students. A decision on this bill is yet to be determined.