Category: Featured

Learning to self-defend at OWU

Katie Cantrell

Transcript Correspondent

kmcantre@owu.edu

Forget the flying spin kicks seen in martial arts movies, these Ohio Wesleyan classes focus on teaching students the basic skills of self-defense.

While they are not as well known, the two elective classes that teach Okinawa karate and a brand of Brazilian jiu-jitsu are popular in both spring and fall semesters.

The classes are held on Tuesday and Thursday nights and last for about two hours at the Summit Martial Arts Academy, 425 S. Sandusky St., a few minutes’ drive from campus. The classes tend to have between 10-to-20 students.

Kyoshi Charles Reidmiller has taught both classes for over 10 years and said students can sign up for both or split the time between the two defense styles.  Kyoshi is a term that equals professor and designates the person as an expert teacher.

“Each one has a very distinctive philosophy,” Reidmiller said. “You may be dealing with stand up (karate) and then it goes to the ground (jiu-jitsu), so you may go from one philosophy to another.”

Reidmiller said students feel comfortable and enjoy themselves. The classes are respectful, controlled and even though students are doing dangerous stuff, it’s a structured environment.

“They feel safe,” he said. “You know it’s a controlled environment even though we’re kicking, punching, arm barring, and choking, but it’s very controlled and you know you tap and it’s done and stops instantly.”

Beginners should go with their natural feeling when considering which class to take. Some may want to learn how to protect themselves on the ground, others may want to learn defense while standing, Reidmiller said.

Reidmiller said he prefers to teach the basics of martial arts over flashy moves such as flying spin kicks seen in martial arts movies. The basics are reliable and proven to work a majority of the time, he said.

“Attacks and violent crimes happen every day,” Reidmiller said. “If you’re going to be around water you definitely take time to learn to swim. Amazingly when you learn to defend yourself the probability of you being a victim drops astronomically.”

The classes are also a confidence builder, Reidmiller said.

Junior Alex Illitch is taking the jiu-jitsu class and has been involved in the course for roughly a year. He said he now participates in the classes for his own enjoyment rather than for credits.

“It’s probably my favorite activity outside of school. It’s a good challenge both mentally and physically, which I like,” Illitch said. “It’s not just, you know, like weightlifting where you’re just using your body, you have to use your mind too. It’s just a unique challenge.”

Illitch has never taken similar classes but offered advice to anyone interested.

“Definitely try it,” he said. “Like obviously when you first start something it’s going be difficult, but if you stick around for long enough you’ll really get to appreciate it and have a good time.”

Senior Sam Miller is taking the jiu-jitsu class and also took it when he was a sophomore. Miller said he took taekwondo when he was younger, so he had some background in self-defense before he joined the class with some of his roommates.

“This place is great, it’s super chill,” Miller said. “They’re very understanding and they’re more self-defense minded. They’re not really competition based, which is good.”

Reidmiller also offered some advice for interested students.

“If you show up a couple times a week and practice what you learn, even if you’re the most uncoordinated … if you just can gain patience and do, it will come because you’re naturally made for it,” Reidmiller said.

Comparative literature launches new era of technology

Meg Edwards

Transcript Correspondent

mmedward@owu.edu

Balloons, glow bracelets and colorful flashing rings last night brightened Sturges Hall to celebrate the conversion of a former janitors closet into a digital work space for comparative literature students.

About thirty students, faculty and members of the Ohio Wesleyan community came to celebrate the launch of Lit Hatch, a new collaborative space where students can work on digital humanities projects, which the comparative literature department has increasingly been incorporating into its curriculum.

Lit Hatch is furnished with a large computer monitor, two chairs, a small bookshelf and a wall to be used for green screen filming in the small but organized space to the left of the building’s entrance.

“It used to be a janitor’s closet,” said Stephanie Merkel, a comparative literature associate professor who led the effort to create Lit Hatch. “We wanted to dedicate a space in Sturges Hall where our students would feel like it was their space.”

OWU junior Humza Nasir, a comparative literature student board member, said he was glad the department is incorporating more technology into its projects.

“Learning how to use this tech does open a lot of doors,” he said.

Knowing how to use specific technologies, such as the online publishing tool Scalar, “gives me an edge” when applying to graduate schools, Nasir said.

Although Lit Hatch accommodates only a few people at a time, the celebration took place in several rooms on the first floor, with each room exhibiting a different student project. A screening of the 1929 silent film “Woman in the Moon” ran in the snack room.

One project from the English department, a website created by Nancy Comorau, an associate English professor and other students, explored queer literature.

In another room, students could explore the blog created by students in Michal Raizen’s course Graphic and Experimental Novels of the Middle East. Raizen, an assistant professor of comparative literature, said each year her class learned to navigate the platform WordPress more quickly, and that the blog was becoming a large part of her curriculum.

“More than anything we use it collectively,” she said.

Some former students have continued to post and comment on the sites, giving current students a prior body of work to build upon.

Several students congregated in another room to play interactive fiction games designed by students in the CMLT 110 class, Myth, Legend, and Folklore. Designed like an online choose-your-own-adventure using a software called Twine, the games were inspired by common themes in folklore, which were then subverted to create a series of surprising twists for players.

Merkel said that incorporating tools such as Twine and Scalar help comparative literature majors apply their learning to relevant work. Some developers pay experts to evaluate game narratives, she said.

“Frankly, there are cool jobs for comp lit majors in game development,” she said. “You can be a ‘Happiness Engineer.’”

OWU sophomore Sarah Jonassen, an English and psychology major who attended the event, seemed to agree, and cited the folklore game as her favorite part of the event.

“I really like books,” she said. “But I think sometimes the perception of English is that it’s dusty old books … it’s important to cater to different interests, especially since video games are so popular.”

From politics to leisure, OWU clubs cover many bases

Alex Emerson

Transcript Correspondent

aaemerso@owu.edu

For whatever interest an Ohio Wesleyan student might have, it’s likely they can find a club on campus to help them pursue that passion.

Club recruitment was in full swing yesterday at the Hamilton Williams Campus Center at the Student Involvement Fair. A wide variety of clubs and their members were on hand, pitching their organizations and trying to enlist new members.

The 16 clubs represented ranged from academia to greek life to video game enthusiasts. A full list of OWU clubs can be found here.

One organization that will draw attention this semester and which has been an OWU tradition since 1884 is Mock Convention. The clubmeets every four years during the presidential election cycle to teach students more about the electoral process, said Ahmed Hamed, the organization’s president.

The “Mock” represents the party not in control of the White House, with the aim of predicting the party’s nominee for the coming election.

Some clubs are focused on activism. One example is the Citizens Climate Lobby.

“Our focus right now is that civic engagement is important. Helping people realize that their voice matters … and (offering) a bipartisan climate solution,” said Juniper Deitering, the group’s treasurer.

Pride is another activist club.

“The club is an inclusive space for the LGBT community and allies, attempting to connect queer people so they can express themselves, socialize and support queer related activism,” said Ben Acuna, the organization’s vice president. “It’s a casual student space, more so than student counseling or something.”

Fun is another element for many clubs, including the Game Club, which is also designed to promote new friendships.

“It’s a really relaxed club where people who like tabletop games and video games can hang out,” said President Ocheme Connell. “Occasionally, we hold events like the Super Smash Brothers Tournament. It meets Friday from 8 p.m. until we feel like going to bed.”

All clubs have signup sheets which include non-committal email lists.

Embrace the “o” of your own personal potential

Tiffany Moore

Transcript Correspondent

tpmoore@owu.edu

For many, the Hollywood sign is simply a famous Los Angeles landmark, but for a performer who appeared at Ohio Wesleyan Monday night, those o’s in the sign represent personal potential.

Tim Miller, who has taken his solo act around the world, likens those letters to Shakespeare’s notion of making the most out of theatre space, like the Globe Theatre of London built in 1599 by Shakespeare’s theater company and known as “The Wooden O.”

Shakespeare’s goal was to have his audience forget their surroundings as they immersed themselves in a play. Miller made a similar pitch, issuing a call to action for about 40 in the captivated audience at OWU’s Chappelear Drama Center to claim their potential.

In a presentation of his written works, Miller explored racism, homophobia and the fight for a better future. He also discussed his autobiography, “A body in the O” and sold signed copies at the end of his performance.

“I don’t want them to just listen to my story, I want them to be thinking of what’s a story like that, that [they’ve] felt in [their] life and if they got it then, maybe they’ll start telling it to other people or maybe that becomes a deeper knowledge of their own life,” Miller said in an interview.

A lot of Miller’s work focuses on marriage equality and the injustices that same-sex couples face in this country. Miller said his next goal is to bring more awareness to the climate crisis.

“I’m old enough that it may not affect me as much, but it’s going to affect you much more and it’ll affect someone whose four years old now more than you,” Miller said. “The idea of 100 years from now people not having this beautiful planet working, or just whole parts of the world being uninhabitable is pretty … what a horrible thing to have not done everything we could.”

Miller’s performance was filled with thought provoking moments, putting the audience on the edge of their seats as they listened to stories from the perspective of both a young and older gay male struggling to survive in a society where homophobia is ubiquitous.

OWU sophomore Aaron Eicher said, “It was cool to see and also made me think about what a performance is because it was just storytelling for an hour, but it still captivated you.”

OWU senior Ran Ye said, “I don’t have any of his experiences so he reminds me of a lot of new things … because something comes up in my mind and I haven’t thought about that before.”

Miller began performing at OWU in 2008. Most of his visits included workshops, working with about 20 students in writing an hour long piece of work over the course of one week. His latest performance was funded by the OWU Theory-to-Practice Grant program.

OWU professor’s novel honored again

Alex Emerson

Transcript Correspondent

aaemerso@owu.edu

An award-winning, Civil War era-novel about a boy’s search for his father led by a mysterious black horse and written by an Ohio Wesleyan creative writing professor has once again been honored.

The Ohioana Library Association chose Robert Olmstead’s book “Coal Black Horse” as one of 90 books by Ohio authors to celebrate the organization’s 90th anniversary. The winners are divided by decade on the “90 Years … 90 Books” list going back to the founding of the library association. The books can be found on the organization’s blog.

Olmstead’s book is on the list for 2007, the year it was published.  He said he is in good company.

“I have a good relationship with Ohioana. Looking at the list, it’s surprising to see how many great authors are from Ohio,” said Olmstead, an English professor and OWU’s director of creative writing.

This isn’t the first time “Coal Black Horse” has received critical acclaim. The book received the 2007 Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for Fiction. In 2008, it earned an Ohioana award for fiction and the American Library Association award as the Best Book for Young Adults.

Olmstead’s story takes place during the Civil War in the wake of the battle of Gettysburg after a boy’s mother has a premonition her husband was killed. She sends her 14-year-old son out to search for him astride an unusual black horse, which leads and protects the boy throughout their journey.

Olmstead said he happened upon the idea for the plot while living in Gettysburg.

“I’m more interested in what runs through the history than the history itself. I was living in Gettysburg as a tourist and had no intention of writing a historical novel,” Olmstead said. “But as I explored the town, its history drew me in irrevocably.”

The book was aimed at focusing on the relationship between American people and war.

“More Americans died in the Civil War than in all of America’s following wars combined,” he said. “This legacy of war, this inheritance of violence literally passes down through families. America has been fighting wars as long as my students have been alive.”

“Coal Black Horse” is the first book of a trilogy. The second novel is “Far Bright Star” and the third is “The Coldest Night.”

“Far Bright Star” has also received recognition. Chauncey Mabe, a writer for the Chicago Tribune, said it is “guided by Hemingway,” and that “a writer as skillful and subtle as Olmstead deserves to be judged on his own merits, influences be damned.”

The last two books continue to explore an inheritance of violence. The protagonist in each story is the child of the protagonist from the last book, living through a different war, Olmstead said.

Olmstead plans to publish more books in the future.

(Editor’s Note: after this interview our correspondent enrolled in Olmstead’s fiction writing class)

Time has come to pursue the dream

By Katie Cantrell

Transcript Correspondent

kmcantre@owu.edu

With our nation torn by divisiveness, college students today, more than ever, must embrace courage and be driven by a “fierce urgency” to stand up and speak out for equality for all Americans

That message was the central theme of keynote speaker Korie L. Edwards, an associate professor of sociology at The Ohio State University, at Ohio Wesleyan’s Martin Luther King Jr. celebration on Monday.

The Pursuing the Dream event was the beginning of a plan to celebrate MLK’s legacy annually, with multicultural students leading the way, said Juan Armando Rojas Joo, OWU’s associate dean for diversity and inclusion. He welcomed students to the observance, which ran from noon to 1 p.m. on the third floor of Merrick Hall.

The celebration kicked off with a performance by OWU’s Gospel Lyres, singing “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

Edwards began her speech with one of the most repeated lines of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which he gave on Aug. 28, 1963 in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. before a massive group of civil rights marchers.

“I have a dream that little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers,” King had said.

While Edwards repeated many of King’s quotes, the perplexities in the joining hands line have become the essence of the entire speech, Edwards said.

“Somehow, I have a dream has morphed into simply a call for diversity,” Edwards said.

King began to follow that stirring at age 26, when he became a leader of the Civil Rights Movement in 1955, Edwards said, in conclusion.

“Perhaps today you have a fierce urgency stirring in you that the moment is now,” she said. “My hope is you won’t allow that fire to die, but that you will seize your moment, your fierce urgency in now to speak, to stand, to fight for love and truth.”

OWU junior Aliyah Owens introduced the speaker.

“She speaks in a way that is understandable to everyone, but she presents these complex ideas that you learn so much from in such a way that doesn’t feel overloading and doesn’t feel unreachable,” Owens said.

OWU Juniors Hope Lopez and Mukami Wamalwa along with sophomore Anna duSaire also said they enjoyed Edwards’ speech.

“I thought it was really informative and it explained a lot of things step-by-step, or it like unfolded a lot things that I didn’t really think about critically (before),” Lopez said.

Wamalwa said Edwards explained many concepts well.

“Like especially when it came down to white supremacy and white hegemony and like kind of breaking those down and understanding how one can lead to the other and how they kind of contribute to each other,” Wamalwa said.

The speech helped duSaire put things in context.

“I thought it was really thought provoking,” she said. “It really made me think about things I see on campus and things I’ve experienced in my life and how that relates to our history and how these patterns are still continuing, so I thought it was really good.”

Rojas Joo said his favorite quote was ‘I have a dream.’

“Why? Because I do have a dream. I do have the dream that we can become very inclusive at Ohio Wesleyan,” he said.

OWU’s MLK committee scheduled Edwards a year in advance to secure her as a guest speaker, Rojas Joo said.

Students will be even more involved in planning activities and speakers for future MLK celebrations at OWU.

“We want to integrate some of the Ohio Wesleyan students into the MLK committee,” Rojas Joo said.

Women’s City Club provides a home for Delaware women

Photos and Story by Erin Ross

Online Design Editor

Sunlight shone onto the floral wallpaper of an old Victorian themed home as Denise Randall shared where women struggling with homelessness and financial problems have found refuge in Delaware County.

Randall is the crew chief at the Women’s City Club of Delaware, Ohio, a non-profit organization that provides a home for single women of low-income. The Club’s house is located at 135 N. Franklin St.

Prior to moving into the house in June 2019, Randall lost her home after being catfished. To be catfished means to be manipulated by someone with a false identity on the internet. She battled severe depression and fibromyalgia. She still struggles with fibromyalgia but, as a result of her time at the Club, she is no longer depressed, Randall said.

“If any woman is in need of a place that she needs to call home temporarily, whether that be three months or a year and a half, Women’s City Club is always some place they should try,” Randall said.

According to the Club’s mission statement, the non-profit organization is “…dedicated to providing a safe, affordable and nurturing home for single working women of low income as they transition towards a self-supporting future.”

Women who live at the Club are required to pay a weekly rent of $70, according to MaryAnn Davis, president of the Club’s foundation board.

In addition to the Women’s City Club itself, the organization has a foundation that is responsible for fundraising, according to Jo Ingles, secretary of the foundation board. Both organizations are registered as nonprofits and have separate boards made up solely of volunteers.

The Club houses 10 women at a time and, as of Oct. 18, the home was full, according to Randall.

Some of the women associated with the Club said the stories of women who live there highlight the need for the county to offer more affordable housing.

“I think Delaware needs to have more affordable housing,” said Robyn Davis, previous resident. “And I think that’s a big discussion in this city and county.”

Lee Yoakum, a city of Delaware spokesperson, said there have been discussions among council members about the need for both affordable housing and a balanced housing stock. By this, he means housing that is not only affordable, but is also appealing to individuals looking to transition into a smaller or larger home, he said.

“What our goal as a city is, to make sure that our housing stock is robust and comprehensive,” Yoakum said. “Part of that is, yes, addressing the need for affordable housing.”

Yoakum also said that there are three multi-family apartment residential projects underway that are to be completed in 2020. In the last 10 years, Delaware has not had that many apartment related projects underway at the same time, he said.

Jane Hawes, director of communications for the Delaware County Commissioners, said housing and zoning are handled at the municipality and township level and the county government does not interfere.

Despite all needing a safe place to live, each of the women who stay at the Women’s City Club have had unique experiences.

Jacqueline Oen, a basketball official for Ohio High School Athletic Association, reached out to the Club while in recovery from alcohol abuse. She began abusing alcohol after her husband died and ended up losing a lot, including herself, she said.

The Club and foundation members’ willingness to help and provide housing and mentorship is the most beneficial aspect of the club, Oen said.

“God led me to the Women’s City Club,” Oen said. “I feel like He really did.”

Oen began living in the house in March 2019 and, as of Oct. 18, said she was 13 months sober.

Differently, Marlene Mckenzie, a current resident at the Club, was narcissistically abused and manipulated into moving out of her abuser’s home. After living with her son and his girlfriend’s family in Mt. Gilead, Ohio, Mckenzie found herself living in a car after learning the family was being evicted.

Mckenzie said the club helped and supported her emotionally and she doesn’t know where she would be without it.

“The Women’s City Club is a stepping stone for us women,” Mckenzie said. “We have been displaced in some kind of way or another, so we find ourselves here and we have support here and we have love here and it is a stepping stone for us to get back on our feet financially. But they also build you up here emotionally. They give you the drive and the ambition to go out and make yourself a little bit more self-sufficient.”

Delaware also has a Turning Point shelter that provides victims of domestic violence with a temporary place to stay, according to Robin Amstutz, president of the Club.

Sue Capretta, treasurer for the Club’s foundation, said she believes people in Delaware are naive to the fact that women in their community are at risk for homelessness and in need of help.

“I think they know, but yet it’s never in your neighborhood,” Capretta said.

To improve such a mindset, Capretta said society needs to become less self-centered.

“I think that our society has gotten to be very me-oriented and that concept of caring for others has kind of gone by the wayside,” Capretta said. “I think that we need to get back to where we realize that, no matter how bad your situation is, there’s other people that have a worse situation or equally as bad.”

To prevent individuals from circumstances similar to the women who live at the Club, MaryAnn Davis listed some solutions. The community should educate people about money and how to take personal responsibility, talk with parents about how to properly raise children, and find better ways to deal with mental health, she said.

Capretta said she recognizes that the circumstances of some of the women who live in the home are a result of bad choices. The members of the Club aim to give such women a second chance. Some have a history of substance abuse, according to Ingles, also public relations coordinator for the Club.

“We want to give them a shot because someone has got to give them a shot,” Ingles said. “That is the whole idea. You can’t make someone pay forever for mistakes.”

Ingles also said being involved with the Club is rewarding and she loves to celebrate the successes.

“We have far more success than we do failure,” Ingles said. “When we have success, it’s just really a cool thing to celebrate. And I live for that.”

Robyn Davis, who keeps track of electronic records for the Delaware County Board of Developmental Disabilities, lived at the Club from June 2017 until March 2019. While living at the Club, she eliminated credit card debt that she had accumulated after her two sons graduated high school and she no longer received child support. She is now a member of the Club’s board and is on both the Resident Relations Committee and the committee dealing with mentorship partnering.

Davis is an example of one of the Club’s successes.

The Club was originally founded in 1954 by Zuilla Way, whose husband bought the home for her to use as a social club with her friends, according to MaryAnn Davis. Following World War II, there was limited housing for women as soldiers returned to their homes and jobs, she said. So, from the beginning, the charter required the Club to offer housing for low-income women.

Many of the women who are involved in the Women’s City Club believe Way’s vision was ahead of its time.

Robyn Davis said, “I think Zuilla Way, that donated that house to the foundation to run, had a foresight and a vision into the future that other people probably didn’t have.”

Despite its historical presence, not all individuals are aware of the Club’s presence and mission.

“The Women’s City Club is one of Delaware’s best kept secrets,” said Randall, a retired nurse.

To spread awareness, the Club has put on fundraisers, such as a princess tea, and rented out the first floor of the home for special events.

“We’ve done a lot of fundraisers,” MaryAnn Davis said. “We need to find a better way of getting the word out and also raising money.”

The Club relies on donations, grants and fundraisers to pay for renovations and other necessary home repairs. The foundation is responsible for this money, which remains separate from the women’s rent. Rent is handled through the Club’s treasury and is used to cover home utilities and insurance, said MaryAnn Davis.

Data show in:

2017: $1,161.05 in personal donations from individuals and $14,145.33 in public donations from corporations and businesses (including a $8,333.33 grant from the Delaware County Commissioners for new upstairs windows).

2018: $601.96 in personal donations from individuals and $1,433.30 in public/private donations from programs such as Kroger, Amazon Smiles and other donors.

2019: $414.31 in personal donations from individuals and $1,209.50 in public/private donations from programs such as Kroger, Amazon Smiles, and other donors (as of Sept. 29, 2019).

Additionally, the Club’s foundation received $3,078.79 in charitable withholdings in 2018 and $5,492.80 in 2019 (as of Sept. 29, 2019).

None of the money the Club or foundation receives goes toward paying for staff or administration. All of the board members for both the Club and the foundation are volunteers.

“They are truly a society of women who want to see other women succeed, and they’re there when you need them,” Oen said.

The women who volunteer for the Club and the foundation aim to help the women living at the home transition into a “self-supporting future,” as stated in its mission statement.

Capretta said, “Our goal is to help these ladies move forward and to be able to get out of our house and into their own.”

White Supremist group advertises on OWU’s campus

By Azmeh Talha

Arts and Entertainment Editor

Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) was one of six college campuses in Central Ohio that was targeted by a national white supremist group which is under FBI investigation.

On Nov. 1, stickers were found on campus including the academic side and Hamilton Williams Campus center, said Cole Hatcher, the director of media and community relations.

No stickers were found inside buildings. They were stuck on lampposts and signs, said Dwayne Todd, the vice president of student engagement and success.

Todd and Juan Armando Rojas, chief diversity officer and professor of modern foreign languages, do not want to name the group to prevent giving the group more attention.

“We’re not naming it because we don’t want to give them any additional publicity,” Todd said.“We didn’t want to put the name of the group in the message. We didn’t want to link to their website because that just fuels them.”

“It’s not about them; it’s about our institution,” Rojas said.

The FBI sent a warning that the group was active in Central Ohio and was targeting college campuses, Todd said.

About 25 stickers were found on campus, Hatcher said. Stickers had white supremist messages on them such as “America is not for sale,” “Reject poison,” and “Stolen not conquered.”

Hatcher said the stickers appeared and stopped in a small window of time.

President Rock Jones held a meeting on Nov. 4 about the matter. Rojas said the meeting was productive and engaging.

“We know that similar or identical stickers have been placed on other campuses in central Ohio and the FBI in its investigation of the matter believes the stickers are being placed by individuals from outside of the campuses,” Jones said.

“The notice that the FBI sent us showed Capital University, Ohio Dominican, Columbus State, Ohio State, us … (and) Otterbein,” Todd said. “All those schools had images from the same group posted.”

The group hit both public and private college campuses, which created a tricky situation for law enforcement due to the differences in free speech rights.

Greg Naples, supervisory special agent of the FBI, said in an email that the group is “tied to a neo-Nazi racially motivated violated extremist ideology.”

As the stickers were being taken down, it seemed as if more were being put up in their place. Todd thought somebody was still on campus, putting stickers up as they were being discovered on campus.

“As soon as we knew what was going on, we were going around campus and removing them so I’m not sure the majority of students ever saw them,” Todd said.

“We would pass by a place where there weren’t any and we came back and there were some.”

Todd thinks that this was a national coordinated effort on the group’s part to go to college campuses. He also said this was a recruitment effort on the group’s behalf to draw younger people to visit its website and join the group.

FBI agent Naples confirmed that. His email stated the group is in the midst of a campus recruiting campaign by placing the stickers on or near campuses.

“They are all red, white and blue with various slogans and/or symbols,” Naples said in his email. “When a member puts up the sticker, he/she takes a picture then posts it on a PF site,”

Nothing of this sort has happened before on campus, Todd, Rojas and Hatcher said.

Hatcher recalled some graffiti on campus a few years ago and Todd recalled the Westborough Baptist Church, which is homophobic, coming to campus.

“In one case, I think it was just random scrawling and I think there was a small amount of graffiti after the 2016 presidential election,” Hatcher said.

“They (Westborough Baptist Church) were here once and then they threatened to come a second time but did not from what I understand,” Todd said. “I consider them a hate group but not a group that’s a white supremist group like this.”

Todd described the most recent incident as disturbing. He was disgusted that this happened on OWU’s campus.

“For me, white supremacy is not a new concept and I am not surprised it happened,” said Alexis Thomas, president of the OWU Black Student Union. “I am hurt that it happened, but also this is not anything new, at least for black people.”

Collective efforts have been made on campus. Todd said there has been a show of solidarity that the efforts of this white supremist group are intolerable at OWU.

“We had people fanning out all over, looking for these things and trying to show support to students and others and we’re planning an event,” Todd said.

An event called One OWU gathering of unity and support will take place on Nov. 13 at 5 p.m. at the labyrinth with the objective to celebrate OWU.

“To celebrate we’re here, to celebrate that we’re united and to celebrate our diversity, our inclusion efforts and to reassure everyone that if we’re here it’s because our objective and goal is to make sure everyone is embraced,” Rojas said.

Chad Johns, the interim Chaplain said The Chaplain’s Office is an interfaith office that serves students of all faiths or no faith.

“Whenever hateful and ridiculous ideologies like white supremacy arise, our response must be to stand firm against the lie that some people are superior to others based only on the color of their skin, their country of origin, their gender…” Johns said. “We choose instead to celebrate the beautiful diversity of the one humanity that we all share.”

Posters were put up across campus with slogans such as “Racism has no home here,” Hatcher said.

An email sent by Rojas to OWU students and faculty addressed the poster campaign.

“If anyone sees something like this happen, call Public Safety right away,” Todd said.

If something of this sort occurs on campus again, Todd said Delaware police will be called. If a member of the group comes back to campus, they can be charged for trespassing and can get arrested, Todd said.

Public Safety can be reached on 740-368-2222.

OWU Students and Alumni Celebrate Homecoming Weekend

By Lauren Kocsis

Transcript Correspondent

OWU alumni who have contributed nearly $200 million to the school were recognized during Homecoming last week.

To kick start Homecoming weekend, the Senior Class Council (SCC) and Ohio Wesleyan University Student Alumni Association (OWUSAA) held an event on the JAYwalk during the lunch hour on Oct. 17. The event celebrated OWU being close to reaching its goal of raising $200 million in donations. Students painted a rock that was then hidden on campus for the alumni donors to find over the weekend. Lawn games were set up and rock-themed music was played. Students got photos with the Bishop mascot. SCC members passed out annual homecoming shirts.

On the night of Oct, 18, students and alumni gathered at The Hill for the annual Homecoming bonfire. They ate pizza, caramel apple, s’mores and cider. There was also a beer garden, music, multiple campfires, lawn games and glow in the dark miniature golf. The event was sponsored by the Student Involvement Office (SIO) and the Interfraternity Council.

“This is always one of my favorite events to help plan,” said Ali Mayer, coordinator of student involvement and first-years programs. “I love an event that connects the current students and alumni. OWU has such a great support system from the alumni.”

In celebration for the football game on Saturday, students and alumni attended the tailgate in Selby Stadium parking lot preceding the game. There were food trucks and the Marching Bishops played.

“We tried something new this year,” Mayer said, “by the SIO sponsoring 100 meals at the tailgate. Students were able to pick up a free voucher during the week to redeem at a food truck. We wanted to alleviate the cost and encourage student attendance.”

Many OWU sporting events took place over homecoming weekend. The football team beat DePauw 28-13 which put them at a 5-1 record. The stands were filled with students, faculty, alumni and families.

“The stands were packed,” said senior Ryan Rubel, a strong safety on the football team. “I loved playing with the alumni supporting us. It felt great to celebrate homecoming with a win.”

Men’s soccer, volleyball and field hockey were also victorious over the weekend. The men’s soccer win earned the team a spot in the top 20 ranked nationally for Division III, according to the OWU athletics website.

On Oct. 20, all of the fraternities opened their houses to students and alumni. Fraternity members took them on tours.

“Greek open houses gave alumni the opportunity to see the house and visit with fraternity ‘brothers,’” said Rubel, of Delta Tau Delta.

Interim Chaplain announced

By Maddie Matos

Editor-in-chief

mrmatos@owu.edu

With the sudden retirement of Ohio Wesleyan University’s previous chaplain, the school has appointed Chad Johns to the role.

In an email from July 18, President Rock Jones told the campus community of the new position for Johns.

Johns will be taking the role over from Chaplain Jon Powers, who retired on July 31. Powers had worked at the university for 43 years.

Johns is an OWU alumnus who majored in psychology. Johns then earned his Master of Divinity in 2005 from the Boston University School of Theology and his Doctor of Ministry in 2015 from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.

After returning to OWU in 2005, Johns has played a major role on campus.

“He (Johns) participated in mission trips as a student and now directs our Spring Break Interfaith Service Week,” Jones said. “In addition, he advises or co-advises student organizations including PRIDE and the Chi Phi fraternity. Chad also is in his second term on OWU Staff Council and is a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council. He has taught UC 160 as well as courses on the theological exploration of both leadership/power and speculative fiction.”

Johns began the position on Aug 1.

 

Updated August 22.Â