Puerto Rico still struggling post Hurricane Maria

By Meg Edwards

Staff reporter

mmedwards@owu.edu

As Delaware tackles snow emergencies and negative temperatures, some Ohio Wesleyan students remember other, more destructive natural disasters.

For Sandra Galindez (2020) and Alexander Sanchez (2022), both Puerto Rican students studying at OWU, Hurricane Maria was more than just a passing news story.

Puerto Rico, which is a United States protectorate with a population of over 3 million (according to the US Census Bureau) gained significant attention from US media after it was devastated by Hurricane Maria over sixteen months ago, in September of 2017. The official death toll from Puerto Rican officials is 2,975, referring to the thousands of people who died of conditions following the storm, such as a lack of electricity, fresh water, food, and access to medical care.

For Galindez and Sanchez, the hurricane had an impact even when they were far away in the midwest.

“I couldn’t go home for Thanksgiving,” junior Sandra Galindez said. “My mom said there were not enough rations.” Many houses on the island did not have electricity for over a year; for people like Ms Galindez’s father, who is a dentist, returning to work was impossible.

But Ms. Galindez also stressed that many Puerto Ricans who lived through the storm have no desire to recall all its details: they are eager to move on. “We don’t like to talk about it,” Galindez said. According to Ms. Galindez, time in Puerto Rico is broken into two periods: before Maria and after.

Alexander Sanchez, a sophomore, was able to visit his family in Puerto Rico over this past winter break, but he is not the only visitor to Puerto Rico recently. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) visited the island on January 22nd, using the trip to address the many communities still struggling and to criticize the current administration for its handling of the storm.

Sanchez says he hopes her visit will bring increased attention to the plight of Puerto Rico from mainland US citizens. Mr. Sanchez worries that this new attention may not be enough- “unless more politicians in both countries continue to bring attention to the issue.”

Shortly after the hurricane, USA Today published a poll with Suffolk University which showed that only 47% of Americans were aware that Puerto Ricans are US citizens from birth, and some observers pointed to this lack of understanding as a cause of the insufficient aid from the US government.

Galindez also expressed hope that Americans are gaining greater awareness of Puerto Rico’s existence, its status as a US protectorate, and its culture. When asked what she wishes more Americans knew about Puerto Rico, she said, “that we do not live in [shacks]… that we are still standing.”

Sanchez said he wishes more Americans understood how the development of Puerto Rican culture differed from that of mainland American culture, considering Puerto Rico’s history as a colony and America’s history as a colonial power.

“The colonial status of Puerto Rico is something that does still exist, and it is important for everyone to remain aware of the fact that this does influence many of the issues that surround the island both politically and culturally,” Sanchez said.

The attention that continues to surround Puerto Rico may be evidence that change is still on the horizon for the island, more than a year after the storm.

Washington marches add to rising political tensions

By Claire Yetzer

Staff Reporter

ceyetzer@owu.edu

Friday, Jan. 18 marked a busy day in the capital as the March For Life and the first ever Indigenous People’s March coincided. Tensions became high between the two when a group of male high school students came up to participants of the Indigenous People’s March and seemingly harassed them.

The altercation was recorded and has become viral around the internet. The students were wearing the famous red hats with “Make America Great Again” and at one point seemed to be chanting “build that wall, build that wall”.

“We noticed the tensions were escalating so we decided to leave before we were caught up in it,” sophomore Alana Guzman said. She and two other students had attended the Indigenous People’s March along with the Women’s March that weekend in Washington D.C.

The main person targeted by the students was Elder Nathan Phillips, a Marines veteran and a former director of the Native Youth Alliance. The march he was participating in was organized to address issues facing the indigenous community like mental health, police brutality and violence against women.

The young men were identified as students of a private Catholic school in Kentucky.  

The incident has now turned into a ‘he said she said’ scenario with both parties telling news outlets differing stories that paint them as without blame.

Hope Lopez, an attendee of the Indigenous People’s March, said that the March for Life participants were approaching the space reserved for the Indigenous People’s March. “They definitely were going into their space, I understand that these two protests were going on and they both the right to freedom of speech and express what they believe but they should respect each others’ platforms.”

A full video that has surface has shown a group of Hebrew Israelites and the high school students exchanging remarks. Phillips walked over to intervene in the scenario while playing a prayer song.

Phillips has given a full interview on CNN on Jan. 22 and Nick Sandmann, the student closest to Phillips, had given a full interview on the Today Show on Jan. 23. Both expressed their regrets for not having avoided the confrontation because of the controversy but maintain their part of the interaction to have been innocent.  

Conservatives and liberals have taken opposing stances toward the event, with conservatives condemning the media for rushing to judge and treating the students unfairly.  

President Trump has offered for the Covington High School students to visit the White House once the government has reopened.

Phillips has also offered to come and talk with the students about the importance of respecting other cultures and having a dialogue about racism and cultural appropriation.

Study pills or addiction pills?

By John Bonus

Transcript Correspondent

jrbonus@owu.edu

More than half of college students with an ADHD drug prescription reported being asked to sell their medication to peers and friends, according to research done by the Society for the Study of Addiction. Another study at New York University found that 29 percent of 7,300 surveyed believed ADHD medications helped improve their grades, despite not being diagnosed with ADHD.

Ohio Wesleyan University is no different than any other college in that there are some students who use prescription drugs like Adderall to help them get their work done.

Across college campuses in the United States these drugs are increasingly being used by students who are not prescribed the medication, because of its reputation for helping them focus on work or studying.

One OWU student, who wishes not to be named, said he sometimes uses Adderall when he needs to cram for an exam or paper.

“It’s kind of hard to explain how it feels, but it keeps you awake and like laser-focused so all you can really think about is the work in front of you. It not like it makes you any smarter.”

Attention hyperactivity deficit disorder, more commonly known as ADHD, is a condition that makes it difficult for those affected to stay focused. Drugs that are commonly prescribed for this condition include Adderall, Vyvanse and Ritalin. They are a a Schedule II controlled substance that fall under the class of amphetamines and stimulants, and are designed to help those with ADHD remain attentive.

Dr. Kira Bailey is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at OWU who teaches classes such as Neuroscience and Psychopharmacology. She said drugs like Adderall work by increasing the release of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, particularly dopamine and norepinephrine.

“Dopamine is typically associated with things like reward, and norepinephrine helps increase arousal and attention,” Bailey said. “That’s why the general effects of an amphetamine like Adderall is an increase of general activation in the brain and body, so the person might feel like they’re better able to concentrate or pay attention.”

A survey by the Michigan Daily in Ann Arbor found that of the 1,300 respondents, 25 percent had used stimulants such as Adderall for schoolwork or to take an exam. However, only 8.95 percent of those respondents said they were prescribed Adderall by a physician or psychiatrist. Many of the others got the Adderall by buying it from another student.

One former OWU student said he used to sell much of his excess Adderall, which he had a lot of. He wished to remain anonymous.

“The one year I was selling I probably sold to around 60 kids, and 20 of those were regulars,” he said. “When it got close to finals I started getting random texts from people I hadn’t even met asking if they could buy.”

According to the same source, the street price for Adderall usually ranges anywhere from $3 to $10 a pill depending on strength.

There are many students with a prescription who feel uncomfortable with the idea of sharing their medication. Jakob Woodside, a junior at OWU who has been taking Adderall since he was 6-years-old, said he refuses to sell his pills to anyone.

“I honestly try to not tell people I have Adderall, because I know that there is a good chance they will ask to buy some,” Woodside said. “When I came to college my mom told me to hide my pills because she knew that kids would want it.”

According to Bailey, the side effects from these drugs are similar between people who use with a prescription and those who use without. However, they are much more prevalent and dramatic for those who do not have a prescription. Some of these effects include anxiety, sleeping problems, shortness of breath and in extreme cases even psychosis.

Addiction is not usually a risk at the levels that doctors prescribe this medication for their patients. But Bailey said that this risk increases for people who take their friend’s pills.

Bailey said she thinks the growing prevalence of drugs like Adderall on college campuses stems from a combination of its availability as well as increased pressure for students.

“Everybody feels like they need to be doing more and at the end of the day you only have so much time,” Bailey said. “So how do you do more with the time you have? Adderall probably looks like a really good option for some people.”

Transcript welcomes new staff for the spring 2019 semester

The Transcript is pleased to announce its new staff for the spring semester of 2019.

Maddie Matos: Editor-in-chief, mrmatos@owu.edu

Kit Weber: Photo editor, kmweber@owu.edu

Jesse Sailer: Online design editor, jvsailer@owu.edu

Claire Yetzer: Staff reporter, ceyetzer@owu.edu

Erin Ross: Staff reporter, emross@owu.edu

Spencer Queen: Staff reporter, scqueen@owu.edu

Meg Edwards: Staff reporter, mmedwards@owu.edu

Azmeh Talha: Staff reporter, aatalha@owu.edu 

 

We hope to serve the Ohio Wesleyan University community to the best of its ability.

3 fraternities in 4 years: just a blip in the radar?

In 2015, 133 fraternities and sororities were suspended or closed nationally. But at small liberal arts school Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU), it was just the beginning of a four-year span that could change Greek life at the school forever.

In 2015, Sigma Chi was closed. In 2016, Phi Kappa Psi was suspended. Most recently, in 2018, Phi Delta Theta was suspended. That brings the total number of fraternities on campus to five.

Fraternities have left Ohio Wesleyan before, but not at this rate. The last time OWU Greek life saw events like this was 1983, when Beta Theta Pi was expelled, and Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Alpha Epsilon put on probation for 10 years. The result of that news? A demonstration by nearly 300 students that included four arrests, broken windows and extensive damage to the Beta house.

But is this stretch just a “bump in the road” for fraternities at OWU, or a trend that may continue?

While the reasoning for these decisions is different for each fraternity, the present statistic remains clear: three fraternities have been closed or suspended in the past four years.

Immediate reactions to this statistic have been mixed around Fraternity Hill and around campus. Some instinctively resort to blame, others understanding, but a sense of sadness is the one emotion that wraps around the hill. This includes senior and President of Sigma Phi Epsilon Austen Kimbro:

“It is extremely sad and concerning that three fraternities have been kicked off of campus over my four years here
and that is a very terrifying thing to try and conceptualize,” Kimbro said.

Three former Phi Kappa Psi members, who were granted anonymity, think this statistic is absurd, considering some of the “justifications” used in closing/suspending these fraternities:

“I think it’s completely outrageous, that something like that’s happened in such a short period of time, especially when some of them were unjustified,” one former member said. “Like Sigma Chi, when they got kicked off had no reason other than speculation. There have been circumstances with the other two fraternities, but I just think they should’ve been looked at from a different perspective.”

The relationship between the administration and fraternities has been sensitive considering these instances. The feeling that President Rock Jones and the rest of the administration don’t believe in Greek life has been circulating students, even though Jones has publicly stated the support of Greek life by the university.

“It is important for everyone to know that Ohio Wesleyan values the Greek community and the individuals who contribute to it,” Jones said in an email sent after the Phi Delta Theta announcement.

Some students, however, don’t believe it or haven’t seen enough to prove otherwise. Junior and Phi Gamma Delta President Eli Rajotte thinks the desire to believe it is there, but still needing evidence.

“I feel like I’m at the point where I’ll believe it when I see it,” Rajotte said.

Rajotte’s fraternity brother AJ Outcalt, a senior, thinks there is that belief and support from the administration.

“Without them or [Director of Clubs and Fraternity & Sorority Life Dana Behum] it would be in a lot worse situation,” Outcalt said.

Fraternities also feel that the university doesn’t focus enough on punishing the individual, rather than the organization. Senior and Delta Tau Delta member John Bonus thinks this is something the school could take a different approach with, although he understands the wholeness aspect of a Greek organization.

“I understand it’s a mutually selective program: we give bids out, those guys choose to accept those bids, and we all have the same values and go through the same processes, so in a way I understand the organization is whole and accepts some responsibility,” Bonus said. “But when only a few members get in trouble for something, it seems pretty unfair to punish the entire organization, especially when they’re building something so positive.”

“The sad part is that, the organizations that have been kicked off had some very good men, who do the right things, but it is unfortunate that some of their brothers made poor choices which ultimately led to the removal of the fraternities,” Kimbro said.

These instances have led fraternities to feel targeted, as if they’re “walking on eggshells.” The bigger picture is the increased presence of University Public Safety on Fraternity Hill that leads to students being upset, says Delta Tau Delta member Andrew Woods.

“It’s more of Public Safety taking the role of ‘almost police officers’ and investigating and actively searching out things, shining flashlights at our house during weekends just to try to see if people are inside, doing random walk throughs of our house and letting themselves in without telling anybody and doing ‘spot inspections’ whenever they feel like,” Woods said. “So those are all things that contribute to fraternity members being very targeted and worried that they’re going to get evicted from their house any day.”

But this article brings you back the question, again with mixed answers is this stretch just a “bump in the road” for fraternities at OWU, or a trend that may continue?

“Although three Greek life organizations have been kicked off, I do believe that this is just a bump in the road.” Kimbro said. “It is very clear that the way Greek life is operating is changing, and to survive we must adapt. After the suspensions are up, I fully believe that Greek life will expand and flourish again.”

“I hope it is just a bump in the road but honestly it’s hard to not look at it and see a trend,” Bonus said. “Obviously, we have some great people in the administration looking out for us but I also think there are many who see Greek life as a liability.”

“I absolutely think it’s a bump in the road.” Rajotte said. “It’s really common, prior to getting kicked off, that it’s a group of people that hold their name, their Greek organization’s name, but aren’t fully inline with the values they instill, and that can draw more downsides toward you. I really truly hope with the most recent suspension that that’s the end of it.”

Will I ever find love? No, but i’ll write about it

Dating for college students has become like taking another class. Students must find the person, go on multiple dates, engage in conversation via text or dm’s with them and discuss their ‘status’. For most students, there is simply not enough time during the day for this.

Between shuffling to classes, maintaining a high-grade point average (GPA) and engaging on campus via clubs or friends, students are stretched thin. Traditional dating can become a lost art.

A student from the University of Pennsylvania said in a 2013 New York Times article that she “positioned herself in a way that I can’t have a meaningful romantic relationship because I’m always so busy and the people that I am interested in are always busy, too,” and others agreed.

Online dating has become the main source for finding love. Students can download apps like Bumble or Tinder and simply swipe on a profile, without ever having to meet that person face to face, let alone have a conversation. The easiness of swiping takes away the emotional reaction to being rejected in person, as a user never knows who is turning them down. Users only know who is mutually interested in them.

“It takes a lot less effort to go on your phone than try to meet people in person,” sophomore Madison Drabick said.

Despite these new advances, students are still able to meet their respective partner in person with minimal issues. Students at Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) often meet on campus due to the small size of the school.

“Couples at OWU meet through similar activities that they’re involved in, similar classes, and maybe a handful meet online,” sophomore Isabelle Rodriguez said.

For some students, sending a text or message is easier than talking in person. In a study reported by USA Today in 2013, approximately one-third of men (31%) and women (33%) agree it’s less intimidating to ask for a date via text vs. a phone call.

Hookup culture also dominates the dating field. Students are often so busy in their daily lives that they can’t see themselves doing anything more than casually hooking up with someone.

“Apps like Tinder have made it to where you’re experiencing looking through playing cards of infinite potential partners,” senior Adia Barmore said. “It makes people believe that there’s always something better out there instead of being satisfied with what they have. It less about getting to know people and more about moving on to the next sexual conquest.”

Online dating remains uncharted territory for some, leaving them questioning if that it can inhibit the natural chemistry people have when they meet. For most students, it seems to be a double-edged sword, something that is so ingrained into society that you must learn to use it, properly.

“I feel like with online dating you have a greater variety to meet people you’d never thought you would meet in the first place and it really expands your horizons, but then again it can be kind of sketchy, [because] you never know who someone is so they could just be hiding behind a screen,” sophomore Jacey Sheffel said.

Ohio Wesleyan’s “invisible problem”

Ohio Wesleyan University’s (OWU) associate professor of history, Michael Flamm, voiced his uncertainty in the November faculty meeting about OWU lasting the next five years as a nationally-recognized liberal-arts college.

Not all faculty members attend each meeting so Flamm took it upon himself to send out a statement making everyone aware of his concerns.

In the statement he explains how he had hopes that OWU would continue to be an example of a superior liberal-arts college. But after multiple transitions in senior administration, most notably the departure of former Vice President for University Advancement Colleen Garland, his opinion on the matter has changed.

“When I arrived at OWU in 1998, 20 years ago, we aspired to become Kenyon and saw ourselves as a reasonable rival to Denison,” Flamm said. “Wooster was clearly a peer institution – in many respects we were superior. Now I doubt whether we can still see Wooster’s tail lights as it pulls away and leaves us in the dust.”

His concern stems from, in his words, the “invisible crisis” that is low faculty morale. In order to assess morale, Flamm suggested in the April faculty meeting that a survey be administered to identify if there is in fact an invisible crisis.

OWU administration opted to conduct a Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE) survey next spring to measure faculty morale. COACHE is a research-practice partnership, through the Harvard Graduate School of Education, between institutions dedicated to improving faculty recruitment, development and retention (https://coache.gse.harvard.edu/).

Dale Swartzentruber, associate provost for institutional research and academic budget management, allowed Flamm to put forward questions to include, as the COACHE survey allows for the addition of questions from the institution that will be administering it. Flamm added four additional questions on top of the already pre-existing questions.

The four questions are as follows –

1) During my time at Ohio Wesleyan, the university has become a stronger institution with better students.

2) In the past five years, I have lowered expectations, diluted standards, or inflated grades in my classes at Ohio Wesleyan.

3) Five years from now, Ohio Wesleyan will have more and better students.

4) President Jones has Ohio Wesleyan on the right track and is the right leader to guide the university for the next five years.

Faculty will be able to indicate whether they strongly agree, somewhat agree, neither agree nor disagree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree, I don’t know or decline to answer to each question on the survey.

Associate Professor of Modern Foreign Language Tom Wolber was present at the November faculty meeting, and when asked for his reaction to what Flamm said, pointed out that, “Dr. Flamm has the right to ask whether President Jones has OWU on the right track and whether he is the right leader to guide the university for the next five years. We do value and practice free speech on campus. However, I would point out that while the faculty has the primary responsibility for the academic curriculum and faculty employment (incl. tenure and promotion), the president serves at the pleasure of the Board of Trustees.”

The danger faced when faculty morale is low is faculty starting to become disengaged to the point where the overall health of the university suffers.

Among other things, the success of an institution is dependent on its faculty and students. An indication of low faculty morale can be attributed to the size of OWU’s student body and the concern for the its decreasing size.

A university relies on the collective commitment of its faculty to go above and beyond what they are contractually obligated to do. Although teachers are only required to teach three or four classes, for the university to do well, faculty need to provide more than those few classes.

Without this commitment, faculty won’t put in extra hours when it comes to providing individual help to their students, cultivating lesson plans that relay information in an interesting way or being enthusiastic about the material being taught.

“There’s what I’m required to do and then there’s what I should do in order to make Ohio Wesleyan the great place that it should be. That’s the question, and morale directly effects that commitment,” Flamm said.

With the lack of students, Flamm says “more and more faculty members are demoralized and disengaged and that therefore any efforts made to improve the university or to improve programs in the curriculum are destined to fail because you do not have an optimistic committed faculty to implement those changes.”

Evidence suggests that the Wenzlau era was the beginning of the decline in student enrollment.

Former President Dr. Thomas E. Wenzlau served from 1969-1984 as OWU’s 12th President. In 1981, he conceived the Reach for Quality program with the goal of making more selective choices with the type of students OWU accepted. The concern for gradual “slippage” in standards was what prompted the reduction in enrollment.

The program was projected to cut enrollment to 1,800 by the fall of 1985. Enrollment had peaked in 1970 at 2,500. The plan worked a little too well, with OWU seeing a 32 percent drop in enrollment. Only 448 new students showed up in the fall of 1985, down from 662 the previous year.

Fast forward to today and the mindset is the complete opposite.

Wasn’t it in the fall of 2017 that Rock announced OWU’s newest initiative to increase enrollment to 2,020 by the year 2020, a projected 20 percent growth in the student body? What happened to that? Was it assumed that the “Connect Today, Create Tomorrow” campaign would overshadow the effort to increase enrollment?

Just looking at the last five years, Ohio Wesleyan fall semester full-time enrollment has decreased from 1,828 in 2013-14 to 1,558 in 2017-18 (https://www.owu.edu/ex/factBook/enrollmentDemographics.php).

“No one likes to have their judgments, decisions, and leadership questioned, but it is a necessary part of being a leader and of being open to listening and collaborating to do what is right. That open and collaborative environment is part of the power of higher education, and I respect and value it,” Jones said when asked how he felt about his leadership being called into question.

While retention rates are a serious topic amongst colleges and universities, the retention of faculty and staff at a university/college can be overlooked. Ohio Wesleyan, more so in the last year, is one of these school that are seeing decreases. Jones, however, is sure that OWU is prepared for such occurrences.

“Ohio Wesleyan has established practices for providing support for departments when faculty leave unexpectedly, and for allocating tenure-track faculty lines,” Jones said. “As the size of the student body has decreased in recent years, the number of allocated faculty positions has decreased proportionally. We are quite focused on increasing the size of the student body and, concurrently, increasing the size of the faculty.”

Last year, multiple OWU departments requested a total of 19 faculty positions be filled not including the five departures and one retiree.  Most of the positions were left over from previous retirements and departures. The administration, in consultation with the OWU Board of Trustees, agreed to fund four of the 20 empty positions for the 2019-2020 academic year.

Former Professor of Sociology and Anthropology Jim Peoples retired last year, and when asked if low faculty morale prompted his decision, he responded that, “Low faculty morale is not a factor in my decision. But I would say that faculty morale is the lowest since I came 30 years ago. Some evidence is lower attendance at faculty meetings –a quorum is far more difficult to achieve and a number of younger faculty leaving for other institutions with their faculty lines not being replaced.”

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.

OWU appoints new director of admissions

By Jesse Sailer, Sports Editor

Jesse Sailer discusses the future progress of admissions with the new director of admissions, Joshua Stevens:

With the position of director of admissions having been vacant, new hire Joshua Stevens brings hope to Ohio Wesleyan University’s (OWU) declining enrollment as well as a fresh look into the college search process.

After previously serving at Earlham College as director of admissions, Stevens brings with him 15 years of experience in directly working with prospective students and families to help them realize their higher education aspirations.

Sailer: After working as director of admissions at Earlham College, why did you decide to come to OWU?

Stevens: Lots of reasons. I’m excited about the energy on campus at OWU – new athletic programs, housing options,academic majors and scholarship initiatives for students. I think the cultural and commercial environment of the Greater Columbus Region provides OWU students with unique connections to the world outside of college. I appreciate that administration and faculty members across campus seem to be working collaboratively and creatively as the college considers the changing higher education landscape, and I am excited to provide my perspective as a student recruitment professional to those conversations.

Before joining Earlham in 2016, Stevens worked for four years as the senior assistant director of admissions at the University of Colorado, the international admissions counselor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an assistant director of admissions at Lake Forest College in Illinois and an admissions counselor at Transylvania University in Kentucky.

Sailer: What is the most fundamental part of your job as it relates to incoming prospective students?

Stevens: The “most fundamental part of my job” is to supervise and mentor the recruitment team. These admission counselors work most closely with prospective students and families to help guide them through the college search process. It is important that these staff members be prepared do the very best job they can at every stage of the recruitment process so that families have the tools and resources they need to make well-informed choices about college. I think the other visible part of my job is to represent the recruitment team when creating strategic enrollment initiatives. These initiatives include creating digital and print marketing materials, designing on and off-campus recruitment events, building scholarship and financial aid models, reviewing applications, and managing the systems and operations of the office.

As a high school teacher, Stevens took a liking to the admissions process and felt he had a good understanding of what the thought process was of a prospective college student. His love for interacting with people and the idea of working on a college campus fortified his decision to follow the admissions career path.

Sailer: What are your plans to increase enrollment at OWU?

Stevens: Vice president of enrollment and communications, Stefanie Niles is bringing tremendous enrollment management experience to campus. I really look forward to working closely with Stefanie and the full enrollment team to assess current best practices and to develop new strategies to enroll the very best class each year.

Sailer: Is there anything new you’re bringing to the table in the way of altering or adding to the admissions process?

Stevens: There is a strong team of admissions professionals already in place at OWU and I will absolutely rely on the current members of the OWU family to provide me with institutional knowledge. I bring 15 years of admissions experience to the table and a perspective that comes from recruiting students for institutions with many different enrollment goals and challenges. I’m excited to get started

Faculty members are excited about Stevens’ arrival, including Niles.

“I am pleased to welcome Josh to the Ohio Wesleyan enrollment and communications team,” Niles said. “He brings strong experience in aiding prospective students and supporting all facets of the admission process, including implementing technology, managing and mentoring admission counselors, and collaborating with colleagues across campus to reach recruitment goals.”

Growing Global

By Erin Ross, Transcript Correspondent

Global studies and international perspectives will continue to flourish at Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) as a result of the Global Scholars Program’s growth in presence, experience and participation since its inaugural year last fall.

Created for students who have an interest in global issues and are pursuing a major with an international focus, the Global Scholars Program admits a small number of students each year. Jeremy Baskes, director of the Global Scholars Program, created the program through the Global Studies Institute.

Baskes envisioned the program to bring together students with shared global interests and present them with unique learning and travel opportunities.

“We see it as a recruiting tool, Baskes said. “It is an opportunity for students who have those interests to come to Ohio Wesleyan and work closely with other students who have similar global interests or international interests.”

The program proved its recruiting power as the number of first-year global scholars increased from 11 in its inaugural year to 16 this fall.

“We made really good progress in increasing the number of students this year and I am hopeful that we will do the same for next year,” Baskes said.

Nathan Amador Rowley, assistant director of the Global Studies Program and assistant professor of geology and geography , said that an increase in the program’s presence allowed them to attract more students.

“When I talk to faculty members, they seem to understand what the Global Studies Institute is and that we have global scholars 
 I would say the presence is probably the big difference,” Rowley said.

The students admitted into the program must complete certain requirements in order to graduate as a global scholar. Such requirements include a first-year seminar, coursework in a major of international focus, competency in a foreign language, studying a semester abroad and the completion of a senior thesis, according to OWU’s website.

The evolvement of the required first-year seminar played a major role in the growth of the program’s dynamic. This year’s seminar, “Climate, Capital and Culture,” is co-taught by Rowley and Mary Anne Lewis Cusato, assistant professor of French.

In contrast to last year’s instructors, Rowley and Cusato are both members of the Global Scholars Institute. This led to growth in student-faculty relationships. The Institute faculty now see the global scholars for four hours a week rather than just in organized social circumstances.

“That develops a different relationship that allows us to advise students in a non-formal way,” Rowley said. “We didn’t make those kinds of deep connections with last year’s students as much.”

The first-year seminar is also a UC 160 course this year. This addition lessened the workload for first-year global scholars who, last year, would have been required to take a separate UC 160 course in addition to their first-year seminar.

Additionally, the freshman global scholars will be required to complete theory-to-practice grants by the end of their first-year seminar.

“Whether they actually submit it or not 
 leaving this class, they will know how to think through a problem, write it down, and propose some sort of travel,” Rowley said.

In addition to growth within the first-year seminar, the Global Scholars Program also expanded its staff by utilizing the experience of its, now sophomore, scholars. This year the program hired Paige Hunter, member of the Global Scholars inaugural class, as an intern.

“We really wanted to pick one of our global scholars. We want to start utilizing them more as mentors to the earlier classes,” Baskes said.

Within her position, Hunter worked on creating a variety of social media websites for the program and better advertised the many campus events that were global in nature. She will continue this work while also adding videos of the global scholars and other material to the program’s website.

“Even though my position is new, I think it adds to the program by increasing the level of communication and connection,” Hunter said.

The program has thus far met the expectations of the staff and displays potential for future improvement.

“As we are learning how to do things, little by little, we do new things. It is growing and evolving, and I think we are feeling really good about the Global Scholars Program as a whole.” Baskes said,

Although the program is new and is continuing to grow, the faculty expresses the need for future funding. At the start of the program The Global Scholars Institute received $200,000 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that was meant to last them four years. As the end of those four years approaches, the Institute must find more funds for the program to continue to grow.

“If we had more money 
 I could imagine bringing speakers, taking students on more local trips 
 Money would just help so much,” Rowley said.