Author: Tung Nguyen

Too many powers, too much to handle

By Kienan O’Doherty, Editor-In-Chief

A world without design. A world on auto-pilot.
That was the bottom line of Randall Schweller’s presentation on Friday, March 9, as part of the
Great Decisions 2018 community discussion series on U.S. foreign policy.

Schweller , a professor of political science and a social and behavioral science at Ohio State
University, is the author of many books. He also has published many articles in leading journals,
including World Politics, International Studies Quarterly, and International Security.

Schweller was scheduled to talk about “The Waning of Pax Americana,” but first he clarified
what that term means.

“Another way of thinking about it is the liberal international order,” Schweller said. “The term
does get thrown around a lot, and it really means more international stability [than peace],
because there hasn’t been too much peace in the world.”

Schweller said a world record has been set for the longest period without a great-power war, and
that “Pax-Americana is peaceful if you’re just looking at the great powers.”

According to Schweller, a world populated by dozens of power centers will prove extremely
difficult to navigate and control.

“Herding a few cats is no simple task; herding dozens of them is an impossible one,” he said.

One of the challenges the world faces is the evolution of transmitting information. Schweller said
he believes people are facing entropy as well.

“Entropy is not only on the rise in the international system,” Schweller said. “Individuals, too,
are experiencing greater personal entropy, as they discover they are incapable of handling the
speed at which digital information is transmitted. Information rains down faster and thicker by
the day.”

Attendees had many questions, and some had their concerns.

“I like how clear he was with us in the beginning, saying he was a Republican,” attendee Jo
Eastham said. “I did think he was a little disorganized, and that his three main points should’ve
been handed out to us.”

Others agreed with Schweller.

“There’s an outburst of small groups in the world that are doing significant activities on a local
level,” attendee Ed Hoar said. “And altogether, they constitute a major force in changing the
world. So, he could be right in that sense.”

Great Decisions 2018 is Delaware’s free community discussion series about current U.S. foreign
policy. It runs every Friday at noon through March 23 at the William Street United Methodist
Church, 28 W. William St.

Kienan O’Doherty is a journalism major at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Student-elected professors give lectures to honor students

By Reilly Wright, Managing Editor

Within Gillespie Honors House’s first year of existence, it has welcomed both residents and
lectures for Ohio Wesleyan honors students.

The inaugural Honors House Lecture Series began in early March inviting OWU honors students
to attend lectures by student-selected professors and an easy way to see the new structure.

The most recent lecture, the second of the series, took place Wednesday, March 21 with Dr.
Lynette Carpenter, professor of english, discussing “Hollywood Doesn’t Go To War: How The
Wizard of Oz tried to keep Americans home during WWII.”

Filled with snacks, questions and “The Munchkin Land Song,” students actively listened as
Carpenter explained a different interpretation of the “The Wizard of Oz” and how the political
climate influenced the film.

Comparing the protagonist, Dorothy, to the U.S., who is unwillingly thrown into a conflict and
innocently liberates people, Carpenter argues the film’s intent to keep Americans home.

“Dorothy has landed herself in the middle of a political struggle: a fight between the witches in
the East and the West,” Carpenter said.

With the main producers of the film favoring U.S. isolationism as well as the characters praising
courage only when it is wise, Carpenter painted the blockbuster in a new political light.

“I think the lecture series is a nice opportunity for students to interact with faculty around
intellectual content in an informal setting,” Carpenter said. “They were a fun audience, very
engaged.”

OWU junior Cindy Huynh, moderator of the Gillespie Honors House, says the series came to be
when residents pointed out the opportunity for honors students to learn about subjects outside of
their majors.

“Sometimes we are often focused on the classes that we are trying to finish for our majors, but
being an honors student is about expanding our knowledge in more than one way, which is why I
believe that this lecture series is beneficial to all honors students,” Huynh said.

Sydney Douglass, a sophomore resident in the Honors House, said “I think the series is really
interesting and a great way for students to learn about things that they may never take classes
about.”

The first lecture of the series hosted Dr. Jennifer Jolley, assistant professor of music, as she
examined the relationship between politics and music.

“[Jolley] spoke about her journey of becoming a composer and how she uses her music to make
political statements,” Huynh said. “It was really inspiring to hear about; especially in today's
political climate.”

Dr. Danielle Hamill, professor of zoology, is speaking next at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, April 2.
Later, Dr. Shala Hankison, associate professor of zoology, will lecture at a predetermined time.

“I would definitely like to see this series grow in the future to reach more honors students and
professors,” Huynh said.

Electric car batteries create challenge for first responders

By Kienan O’Doherty, Editor-In-Chief

In a world where technology is evolving at a rapid pace, emergency response should as well.

I agree, it is a very odd combination when you first look at it. But when you see an electric car’s debris all
over the highway, you may want to see the logic behind the combination.

Last Friday, a fiery crash occurred between a Tesla Model X and a freeway divider on U.S. Highway 101
in California, leaving the roadster engulfed in flames after being struck by two other cars afterward. The
crash shut down a carpool ramp and two lanes for almost 6 hours, almost twice as long as normal
accident of this type. One of the major problems was the car battery being exposed.

Mountain View’s (CA) Fire Department typically puts out a car fire in minutes. But according to an article
on abc7news.com by Jonathan Bloom, Chief Juan Diaz said this is the first time the department has had
to deal with a Tesla battery that was split open and on fire.

Fire crews arrived at the scene of the accident around 9:30 a.m. Chief Diaz said the last engine company
went back into service around 4:30 p.m. In a gasoline car fire, he said, all companies would’ve likely
been back in service within minutes.

According to the article, Tesla’s no stranger to the Mountain View Fire Department. They’ve conducted
trainings with firefighters, including some at their factory in Fremont (CA), on how to handle Tesla
batteries when they’re damaged in an accident, and how to disconnect batteries from each Tesla model.

So, why did it take so much longer?

Well first, first responders looked over many options. They considered dousing the battery with the
recommended 3,000 gallons of water, but that would’ve required stopping all traffic to run a hose
across the freeway. Another option would’ve been to let the fire burn itself out — but firefighters also
decided against that. So instead, they called on Tesla engineers to come over and help remove the
battery completely.

Being that these first responders had training to deal with this, I believe that it wouldn’t hurt for all first
responders to have more training on this issue, as this is coming to be the age of the electric car. They
need to be more prepared, as the next electric car to catch on fire could even be more catastrophic.

President Trump and his contributions to the winning of The Shape of Water

By Tung Nguyen, Online Editor

In the year of 2018, the world has seen a “fairy tale” winning an Oscar for the Best Picture, one of the most prestigious award that a director could achieve. The Shape of Water had overcome its outstanding competitors to be one of a very few fantasy film, if not the only one, to win the Academy Award, thank to president Trump.

President Trump has been a center of many comedic criticisms coming from the Hollywood’s world, if we can recall the opening monologue of Jimmy Kimmel in the last Oscar event. In this year, more than just gently mocking the president through monologue, many films, which subtly ridicule the presidency and the United States’ society after the election, were chosen to compete for the Best Picture such as Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Shape of Water.

Throughout the many years of the Oscars, I have to admit that the political factors are becoming more and more important and, probably, surpassing the pure cinematic factors. To be clearer, briefly analyzing The Shape of Water is essential.

The United States’ society during the 1960s is a picture with many contradictory colors. The blue color represents the hope of a better future with massive technological and economical progressions.
The yellow color brings up the remnants of racism toward many people of minorities and red provokes the potential threats coming from the intense rivalry against the Soviet Union. With Elisa Espotito, her life is surrounded by the grey color.

Living in a dreary apartment above an old movie theater in Baltimore and working as a regular janitor in a secret government laboratory during the Cold War, Elisa only has one silver lining that lights up her life as a muted woman: her friendship with Giles, a homosexual painter, and Zelda Fuller, her colored co-
worker. Each of them represent a minority that has been suppressed in centuries by the United States’
society.

However, the color of love found Elisa when she meets “the Asset,” an amphibian-humanoid creature
founded near a South American river. In “the Asset”, Elisa sees a silent friend who shares the passion of music, of dancing and some boiled eggs with her. More than that, they are both lonely and crushed by something bigger. If “the Asset” is physically and continuously damaged by Colonel Richard Strickland, a
representative of a “higher power,” then Elisa is emotionally damaged by her co-workers’ daily complaints, who are the representatives of the United States’ society, because of her disability.

In my opinion, this particular picture is reminiscent of what is going on in the United States’ political arena nowadays under Trump’s presidency: the government stepping on the minorities to reach its own purposes. The images of President Trump constantly mocking a woman of disability as well as disdaining a journalist because of her “regular job” did enrage the public a year ago. Even though The Shape of Water had a big chance of becoming a “so-so” movie like some other movies from Guillermo Del Toro
such as Hellboy, these images from the president somehow pulled its own trigger and pushed The Shape of Water to a massive success.

The depiction of the current presidency cannot be perfect without the last suppressed group, which has been focused mostly on by the president himself: the Mexican immigrants. With his Oscar’s
acceptance speech emphasized on his own Mexican origin, let us guess who put the last puzzle piece in the panorama that subtly implies the “political incorrectness” of President Trump? The Academy Award winner: Director Guillermo Del Toro.

Equestrian team returns to competition

By Jesse Sailer, Sports Editor

After four years of being on a competitive hiatus, the Ohio Wesleyan Equestrian Team (OWUET) returns to compete in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) against top schools in the region.

The OWUET western team traveled to Miami University on Saturday and Wilmington College on Sunday last weekend to compete against Ohio State University, Ohio University, Wilmington College and Miami University.

All of the competing schools have division 1 club programs, aside from Wilmington’s division 3 status, and all the schools have well established equestrian teams that have won numerous IHSA national titles.

OWUET used to have a strong competitive IHSA presence back in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Due to decreased membership and interest, the team has not competed in IHSA since 2014, until last week.

Sophomore Reilly Wright, the western team president and co-captain of the OWUET, competed with two other western competitors, junior Sarah Sanford and sophomore Hannah “Juniper” Deitering.

On Saturday’s Miami show, Wright placed 2nd in her intermediate level class and Sanford placed 6th in her beginner class. All three western riders competed Sunday at Wilmington with Sanford placing 4th in both her A.M. and PM shows. Deitering, also in the beginner level, snagged 4th in her A.M. showing and 3rd in the P.M.. Wright secured 3rd in her A.M. show and came out on top in her P.M. class with a 1st place victory.

Junior english captain Hannah Durr who is in her second semester of holding the position of captain said, “I am so proud of our riders who competed this past weekend, and am very excited to see our english and western riders compete this upcoming weekend.”

“It was such as thrill to ride competitively for OWU for the first time,” Wright said. “To represent our school against powerhouses like OSU and Miami was really exciting, especially with it being Sarah and Juniper’s first show ever.”

Jessica Daniels, the team’s coach, has been working with members since fall 2016 to prepare them for competing in the IHSA. 

“This past weekend I was so impressed with our riders, two of our riders had never shown before and they rode like seasoned pros,” Daniels said 

OWUET’s english team, sophomore Theresa Schluchter, and freshmen Molly Taylor and Hannah Edelblute, compete for the first time this Saturday at Ohio University while western competes again at Wilmington College on Sunday. These shows are the last of the 2017-2018 IHSA season with qualified riders beginning postseason championships in early March.

The IHSA offers competition in both western and english, also known as hunt seat, for colleges nationwide that compete against each other. Competing riders in both seats are assigned a random horse they most likely have never seen or ridden and must immediately ride the strange horse before a judge. 

The difference between riding hunt seat and western mainly comes down to the type of tack, rider attire and riding position. In competition, the judge studies the rider’s handling of the foreign horse under specific hunt seat or western expectations, such as the rider’s arm position or leg movement.

Both styles of riding are offered by OWUET and require no necessary experience from anyone wishing to join to ride for fun or to compete. Members range from experienced riders who have competed their entire lives, while others have never even touched a horse before, let alone mounted one. 

Before the fall of 2016, there were a total of five active members. Due to the recruiting work of the team’s president at that time, alumni Amber Sample, membership boosted up to 22 riders that semester. That also was the semester the team signed Daniels as their new coach.

“This is a growing sport in today’s colleges and a majority of schools are now offering it as a varsity sport,” Daniels said. “The National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) was founded in 1998 in collaboration with the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAA) and continues to be one of the fastest growing women’s sports.”

Since then, their numbers have steadily risen with close to 40 members now, with about 30 actively taking weekly riding lessons. 

“We hope those numbers will grow a little more so we can have some more competitive interest next year and boost our presence in the IHSA,” Wright said.

Coaches Corner: Mike Plantholt

By Jesse Sailer, Sports Editor

As the men’s lacrosse team starts their 2018 season, head coach Mike Plantholt looks to improve the young team and win another conference title.

Sailer: How’s the upcoming season look?

Plantholt: Pretty good, we’ve put together a very nationally competitive schedule. So we play arguably the toughest schedule in the country against four teams in the top seven in the country so we had a tough first game. We had a lot of positives there, I think a lot of our guys played really hard and we realized that we could run with and play with and beat anybody. That’s our focus right now is getting a little bit better everyday and trying to be the best team we can be when it counts.

Sailer: What are the benefits of having such a tough schedule?

Plantholt: Having a tough schedule prepares you for everything, so obviously you want to be good in conference so playing some tough out of conference opponents not only helps you when it comes down to conference time but it helps you when it comes to playoff time. You’re going to be playing the best teams in the country in the playoffs so if you can make it there then that tough schedule will have prepared you for that.

Sailer: Do you have a strategy going into this season?

Plantholt: The strategy this year is getting the younger guys that have been waiting in the wings like the sophomores and juniors, getting them some game experience. I wouldn’t say there’s a particularly different strategy this year then in years past. We just want to continue to improve every game and make sure the guys are having a great experience.

Sailer: Are there any freshman we should look out for?

Plantholt: This is a very strong freshman class, in terms of players to look at Will Anton started in his first collegiate game this past weekend and he’ll be someone who gets into the rotation a little bit. We have Charles Schooler at long stick midi who looks really good, Sean Gellen is a midi that has impressed us, Austin Plaster and Max Johnston also look really good. We have very good goalies in this freshman class both Zach Brasser and Connar Mulcahy. I’m very impressed by how are freshman have been playing so far. 

Sailer: Is it nice to have senior Ben Rigger back as goalie after not having him for the 2017 season?

Plantholt: Yes. He’s a difference maker in the cage and when we didn’t have him last year we were forced to start two freshmen and that was a lot to ask of them being the 13th ranked program in the country. Although, sophmore Joey Sichenzia stepped in and had a solid year, but I think all of our goalies on the team right now are going to learn something from playing under Ben. He brings a wealth of experience.

Professor shows the life of Japanese-American artist through photography

By Tung Nguyen, Online Editor

Decades worth of photographs certainly tells a story.

Lynn Estomin, an award-winning professor of digital art and design at Lycoming College (PA), whose works have been known internationally and well-received, presented her new documentary   “Living in the Story” in the R.W. Corns building on Feb. 16. 

“Living in the Story” shows thirty-five years of photographic artist Patrick Nagatni, a third-generation Japanese-American, who spent most of his lifetime using arts to depict the world’s history during the 20th century with the emphasis on nuclear tragedies. 

Unlike many other artists, Nagatani is well-known for his distinctive approaches to photography. More specifically, Natagani uses sets, models as well as sculptures and background paintings to construct his messages. 

By using red as the dominant color, Nagatanii, with the blend of fact and fiction in his sets, successfully created a deep sense of tension to depict the nuclear aftermaths. 

“His work is also very different. To me, he is telling a story and he is trying to play with the idea of what is truth in photography,” Estomin said. “And more than that, how photography tells somebody its own version of truth.” 

In fact, Nagatani did not see himself as a mere photographer but a narrator as well. Like Estomin, Natagani believes that there is no absolute truth in photography. Photography is only reproducing the moments and Natagani said that the magic of his works is “living in the story.” 

Dr. Lynette Carpenter, professor of English and Film Studies at Ohio Wesleyan University said: “Patrick’s style is imaginative, unusual and he seems to have a funky sense of humor shown in his works. On the other hand, besides Patrick, Lynn is the one who came up with genius ways in making this film and delivering Patrick’s stories. She should take credit for that.” 

When asked what Estomin regrets the most in her documentary, Estomin said: “Definitely the experts talking about his works. I wanted Patrick to tell his story and I didn’t want other people to tell us what we should think is important about his photography. I wanted him to tell the story himself.” 

Before “Living in the Story,” Estomin has been acknowledged by her other documentaries on a wide range of social issues such as human rights, domestic violence, and Planned Parenthood, which have been broadcasted nationally on PBS and shown in many film festivals around the world. 

To view Patrick Nagatani’s other works, please visit his personal website, www.patricknatagani.com.

OWU’s theatre department recreates history in latest show

By Maddie Matos, A&E Editor

Ohio Wesleyan University’s theatre department delved into royal intrigue and religious question with the student production of Royal Gambit.

The show is about King Henry VIII of England and his famous six wives. The wives were known for meeting dynamic ends, with half of the wives dying in their marriage. Each of the marriages were highlighted in the show, and often intermingled with one another.

The show ran from Feb. 15 through Feb. 18 at the Chappelear Drama Center.

Different topics during Henry’s reign were shown, including the religious turmoil Henry brought when he started the Protestant Revolution and its consequences for all his wives. Actors felt the challenge of recreating a historical drama and being able to portray characters correctly, even if they were an understudy.

“One of my biggest challenges was trying to balance my character research and progression without actually being able to act and perform,” Logan Kovach, who played King Henry VIII’s understudy, said.

Students enjoyed the show and the varied performances cast members gave. The show had humorous elements, making the performance more enjoyable for the audience.

“I enjoyed the dynamics of the characters,” freshman Shayla Scheitler said.

“I thought the show had a comedic relief with all of the innuendos, and that made the show all the more entertaining.”

The production was directed by professor of theatre Elane Denny-Todd, had a cast and crew of over forty people, making the show a smaller production compared to other acts throughout the season.

The actors all gave varied performances, with praise directed mostly to senior Daniel Haygood in the role of Henry VIII.

“He embodied his character to the point that you couldn’t identify him as a student here, just King Henry VIII,” Scheitler said.

The play received praise from students and the actors, including a standing ovation at the end.

Ohio Wesleyan professor returns with history

By Jesse Sailer, Sport Editor

One of Ohio Wesleyans hidden gems, Robert Olmstead, was welcomed back after a semester’s leave on a book tour to do a live reading of his newest novel Savage Country.

The live reading in the Benes Room was the kickoff event of the spring semester orchestrated by faculty of the English department. He was introduced by English department chair Zach Long and OWU literary magazine member Laura Heaney.

Before holding the current position of director of creative writing at OWU, Olmstead served as senior writing in residence at Dickinson College and as director of creative writing at Boise State.

Olmstead is the author of nine published works including Coal Black Horse, Far Bright Star, and The Coldest Night.

While most of his books are works of fiction, Stay Here With Me is his sole autobiography and takes a look back on his early life living on his grandfather’s New Hampshire dairy farm.

Savage Country follows the lives of Elizabeth and her brother in law Michael in Kansas of 1873. Elizabeth is forced to deal with her husband’s accumulation of debt after his passing and embarks on a buffalo hunt that could be her last chance to save what she has left.

KIRKUS’ review remarks Savage Country as “Another gorgeous, brutal masterpiece from a great American writer.”

“Two things compel me, one has to do with my own curiosity, wanting to know and the other is the child in me is always up for a great adventure,” Olmstead said in response to what inspired him to write this novel.

“He has such a way with words and the images he’s able to paint in your mind are absolutely breathtaking,” junior Mona Lynch said.

When it comes to his research process into the content of his next book, he likes to look at late nineteenth century yellow backs. Yellow backs were cheap novels with yellow cloth binding that included “sensational fiction” and adventure stories.

Olmstead has always been intrigued to see what captures the reader’s attention in those books and he tries to bring that into his work as much as he can.

Writing historically accurate fiction novels and westerns has also opened his eyes to many of the truths of American history. A large part of Savage Country focuses on wild buffalo and the hunt of wild buffalo.

Olmstead spent some time educating the audience on the reason behind the massive extinction of buffalo during the 1980’s and it was because the industrial revolution and the demand for buffalo hide.

“There is such amnesia about that, we’re made to think they disappeared due to gluttony and sinfulness but it couldn’t be further from the truth,” Olmstead said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Career Services advances community engagement

By Reilly Wright, Managing Editor

Ohio Wesleyan University’s Office of Career Services, once part of the Division of Student Affairs, shifted to the Division of University Advancement on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018.

The Division of University Advancement primarily handles engaging OWU alumni, families and friends through significant networking, volunteer involvement and financial support. This move means Career Services will be more closely intertwined with alumni, allowing OWU students to have greater access to alumni and any opportunities they offer.

“The shift occurred to provide greater access, career-related programming and experiential opportunities for students,” Director of Career Services Leslie Melton said.

Colleen Garland, the Vice President for University Advancement, says alumni are one of the greatest assets Ohio Wesleyan students have for internships, career mentoring and eventual job placement.

“Housing Career Services within Advancement strengthens opportunities for students by connecting them with successful alumni willing and eager to assist with student career development,” Garland said.

By restructuring this department association toward alumni relations, Ohio Wesleyan is joining a common trend that other institutions like Amherst College (MA) and Colgate University (NY) have done.

“It is increasingly common for Career Services to align with Alumni Relations and University Advancement at institutions like Ohio Wesleyan,” said President Rock Jones. “This allows for greater partnerships with alumni in providing externships and internships, in mentoring students in preparation for work after college and even in leading to employment opportunities.”

Originally, Career Services was part of Student Affairs, which handles supporting students in engagement, resources, opportunities and involvement. Student Affairs currently holds a variety of departments including Counseling Services, Student Conduct, Residential Life and Public Safety.

The Office of Career Services provides individual counseling for students regarding career plans and development, job searches, and networking. The department is comprised of four employees and multiple OWU student interns on the second floor of Hamilton-Williams Campus Center.

“We are still working to determine [changes] however, in the meantime, neither students nor staff will notice any major changes until the office has fully integrated into the [new] division and determined opportunities for advancement,” Melton said.