Category: Featured

Public Safety’s battle with drug use

By Minkyu Jung, Transcript Correspondent

 

 

Usage of drugs on Ohio Wesleyan University’s
grounds have been steady, but staff and public safety are doing everything they can to contain and limit the situation.

Interviews with Robert A. Wood, director of the university’s public safety, and Eli Reed, resident assistant of Stuyvesant Hall showed that while the usage of illegal drugs are still ongoing within the school grounds, both groups are doing what they can to inhibit such uses. The Ohio Wesleyan University annual security and fire safety report is also in sync with what the interviewees said.

Both Wood and Reed confirmed that there has been usage of illegal drugs in the university’s grounds. Eli recalled that he did notice occasional smell of marijuana on weekends even before he became resident assistant, and became more aware since he became one. Wood said that the usage rate of marijuana was second only to alcohol.

The report’s statistic also showed 13 arrests on drug law
violations alone in 2017.

“The number one drug we see most abused is alcohol…marijuana is number two,” Wood said.

Wood also showed the public safety’s stance toward
drug use inside the university campus.

“Obviously the illegal use of narcotics must be dealt
with according to both criminal law as well as student
conduct requirements,” Wood said.

According to Wood and Reed, the university’s staff and public safety are doing everything they can to re-
strain the usage of drugs. There are multi-office cooperation, regular patrols, and even room searches for pin-
pointed rooms.

“Yes, many offices play a part in helping (…) counseling, student conduct, dean’s office almost all play some part in helping to control the drug problem on campus,”
Wood said.

“Our duty as RAs is, if we can pinpoint odor to a
specific room during rounds, or even outside of rounds…
then you are to call public safety right away, and they
take care of it,” Reed said.

OWU’s department of politics and government encouraging voter participation among students

By Garrick Bostwick, Transcript Correspondent

The Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) department of politics and government offer to help students vote early in the 2018 mid-terms despite historically low turnout among young voters.

OWU’s Arneson Institute for Practical Politics and Public Affairs will offer students transportation to voting locations in Delaware by way of shuttle service. This comes during a critical point in American politics as Congress could tip either way after this year’s mid-terms. Many political analysts believe that if more Americans aged 18-25 voted then Democrats would gain a significant advantage in Congress.

The manager of the Institute’s student involvement initiative for the 2018 mid-terms, Franchesca Nestor, hopes students will take advantage of the opportunity provided. According to Nestor, the Institute was not started due to the low turnout of young voters in previous elections.

“One of us takes steps to make sure students are involved in politics” Nestor said when asked about other times the Institute was involved in getting students to the polls. This is in accordance with the Institute’s politically unbiased goal of encouraging students to vote, started by its founder, Professor Micheal Esler of OWU’s politics and government department.

“We aim to give as many people as possible the opportunity to vote and help those with absentee ballots” Nestor said.

Students such as Joe Antal are taking advantage of this opportunity as he is using an absentee ballot and will take a shuttle to deposit his ballot.

“I don’t have a car so if not for these shuttles I wouldn’t have voted like many people my age” Antal said.

While Nestor is concerned about the low turnout of younger voters in previous elections, she is more so concerned about voting on a national level. She claims that the introduction of voter identification cards and other such requirements for voting deterred people from it and hopes that early voting can counteract this.

Only in the past few years has early voting been offered in Ohio and Nestor hopes more students will go to the polls because of this. According to her, early voting opens the opportunity to vote as it is easier to fit in more peoples’ schedules.

That said, there are still requirements for voting in Ohio beyond registration to vote. At the polls one must provide a form of state-issued identification such as a driver’s license or an identification card issued by the state of Ohio. If either of those can’t be provided a copy of a utility bill from OWU can be used as well.

All of this was detailed in an e-mail sent out by Nestor to the student body, informing them the time when shuttles leave for the polls and what must be done with absentee ballots. The remaining shuttles will leave Nov. 6 at 8:10 a.m, 2:10 p.m and 4:10 p.m

Student’s business powered by recyclable phone cases

By Will Anton, Transcript Correspondent

A freshman at Ohio Wesleyan University is turning heads
with a new recyclable phone case, which is only the start to
his brilliant ideas.

Jack Foley, a freshman at OWU, is trying to change the
way people protect their phones with a special twist to it.
He has created a phone case that is entirely made out of
recycled plastic from the streets of Haiti. ReYuze is the
company’s name, and it focuses on transforming recycled
plastic into phone cases. Foley originally thought of the idea
after making fun of his sister for constantly changing her
phone case.

Foley grew up around the Chesapeake area in Baltimore,
MD, and was always surrounded by water. Foley has always
been passionate about the environment, and this product
could decrease the waste in oceans around the world. The
recycled plastic Foley uses come from a small town in Haiti,
named Menelas. Every time it rains, the Haitian people must
evacuate to high ground because the streets flood with all
types of garbage. This is the main location where the plastic
is gathered before it is taken to a collection bank, which
eventually sends it to the manufacturer of the phone cases in
Maryland.

One of Foley’s long term goals is to expand the business by making more high quality phone cases and helping the people of Haiti. Foley stated that he “wants to save the
world one case at a time.”

Out of the many trash filled locations around the globe,
Foley selected Haiti because of its corrupt government
which does not prioritize cleaning the streets. Foley wanted
to make an impact. Another benefit of the company is that it
is giving jobs to Haitians and Americans.

Foley donates a dollar of every sale to the First Mile Coalition, which is the top charity in Menelas, whose mission is to educate Haitians about child labor and poverty.

Junior Lucas Smith has been using the ReYuze case for
several weeks.

“I always drop my phone, and I was worried about cracking another one. I love the feeling of the case in my hand, and it has done the job protecting my phone,” Smith said.
“There is also a place to store my cards and OWU ID. I plan
on buying another one soon.”

ReYuze has earned some great reviews and is on the
rise. Foley’s ReYuze phone cases cost only $10, and they
are available for the IPhone 6, 6s, 7, and 8. His next idea is
to make the case a “lifeproof version,” or even expand his
products beyond phone cases.

Foley has an office in the new Delaware Entrepreneurial
Center at Ohio Wesleyan University. His main goal is to
make a real impact on the amount of plastic that enters the
oceans. He also wants to stop the “garbage patches,” which
can get as large as the state of Texas.

Two Eras Collide at One Historic OWU Performance

By Maddie Matos A&E Editor

The weekend of Oct. 4 brought colonization and modern times into one show at Ohio Wesleyan University’s production of Cloud 9.

The show was directed by senior Ares Harper, making it the first show to be directed by a student in over 45 years.

Cloud 9 is divided into two acts that correlate with one another. The first act focuses on a British family in colonial Africa circa 1880. The family dynamic plays a key role in the plot of the show. Various characters are forced to suppress their sexual desires and orientations due to the social structures of the times they live in. This allowed the audience to draw obvious parallels between sexual oppression and colonialism.

“The show brought up a lot of serious questions… and social commentary,” sophomore Hannah Carpenter said.

The cast of seven students were asked to play 18 different roles in the show. Each character in the first act had a correlating character in the second act. Some characters switched their gender in the show as well, adding a unique aspect to the show.

The second act was set in modern day London. This act was more lighthearted, allowing the audience to laugh while still understanding the themes of the show.

“It was a good way to interweave humor with an important subject matter without it being convoluted or overdone,” sophomore Claire Yetzer said.

The audience received the show well, with standing ovations at the end of the program. Some actors got high praise as well for their roles in the show.

“I liked Edward in both the first and second half… he seemed honest and genuine,” Yetzer said.

Edward was played by freshman Jasmine Lew in the first act and sophomore Logan Kovach in the second act. The character is a gay man who must suppress his sexuality in the first half, and then in the second half come to terms with what he actually identifies as.

“It was interesting to see him in both the Victorian era and the modern era,” Carpenter said.

Each character had to grapple with their needs and desires to better themselves. The connection to the show was strong among the audience, with both Yetzer and Carpenter feeling the show offered insight into the need for self enlightenment.

OWU Increasing Parking Spaces Near Residence Halls

 

By Ashley Barno, Transcript Correspondent

 

Ohio Wesleyan plans to expand Smith Hall parking lot soon due to the minimal parking spaces available for students who have cars registered through the university.

“Now that the university has purchased the house on the corner of William St. and S. Liberty St., it will be razed in the near future and the plan is to use that space to expand the Smith Hall parking lot,” Public Safety Office Manager Bobbi Frey said. Frey added there is no limit to the number of cars allowed to be registered through the school.

According to OWU Public Safety, 633 students have cars registered for campus parking with approximately 1,250 parking spaces available. There are four parking passes offered to purchase (A, B, C and D), but they are limited to students depending on what year they are. First year students are only able to buy C and D passes, while all other years can buy any pass they prefer.

Junior Jacob Hecker has registered his car all three years he has attended OWU. He argues that the available parking spots aren’t where students need them to be, which are near the dorms.

“If I could do it all over again, I wouldn’t have ever registered my car through the school because there is no real way to enforce registered vehicles versus unregistered ones,” Hecker said.

Hecker bought the B pass this year, the most popular pass purchased by students, according to OWU Public Safety. The B pass is $175 and covers parking in lots all over campus: every dorm hall, all fraternities, Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, Beeghly Library and Selby Stadium.

“Parking is way too expensive for not being able to have effective parking for students,” Hecker said.

Sophomore Emily Cammeyer believes the campus parking system works effectively depending on the time of day.

“During the lunch hour or anytime after 9 p.m., good luck trying to find a spot anywhere on campus,” Cammeyer said. “I think the system is fine and is just like any other schools’, but it would be nice if Public Safety could issue warnings before actually ticketing students,”

Cammeyer mentioned there are not a lot of available spots near campus living buildings, but there are always plenty of open spaces in Selby Stadium, which she says isn’t effective.

 

( Last edited on November 1st, 2018 at 4:23 pm )

Phi Delta Theta at OWU suspended

The Ohio Beta chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Ohio Wesleyan has been suspended for three years, effective immediately, according to an email sent out by Dwyane Todd, vice president for student engagement and success. The “Phi Delt” house is being vacated, and the current occupants will be relocated to other campus housing facilities. The 32 active members will be designated as alumni members.

The decision was made following careful deliberation among  the fraternity’s international staff and officials, local alumni advisors, and University personnel.

According to Ohio Wesleyan president Rock Jones, numerous attempts were made to correct the pattern of misconduct, but to no avail.

“Numerous conduct meetings were held with members of the chapter’s executive officers in an effort to address concerns, but those efforts were unsuccessful. Seeing a pattern of misconduct and a declining commitment to the values expected of members, the decision was made by the national fraternity, the alumni advisors and the university to suspend the Ohio Beta Chapter for three years,” Jones said.

 

Life before and after Castro; why there’s no going back

By Tiff Moore, Online Editor and John Bonus, Transcript Correspondent

Mario Sanchez is never going back to Cuba, and he still has nightmares about being trapped in the communist country.

Sanchez has a unique perspective on life in Cuba before and after Fidel Castro’s communist takeover of the government. He attended law school with Castro at the University of Havana.
Sanchez was the son of a Cuban Supreme Court justice. Because of his father’s status in the government, he was able to live comfortably and focus on his education. However, this all changed when his father died. With no government pension from his father, Sanchez had to drop out of law school and get a job as a school inspector to provide for his family.

Around this time, Castro was beginning his rise to power. He drew inspiration from revolutions in countries such as Nicaragua, and decided that the only way to fight corruption was to overthrow
the government of Fulgencio Batista. After Castro’s takeover, everything changed for the people of Cuba, and the Sanchez family felt the effects almost immediately.

Dr. Michael Flamm, a history professor at Ohio Wesleyan University, said the Sanchez family could have been singled out by the Communist Party because of their connection to the Batista
regime.

“Since this man’s father was a Supreme Court justice under Batista, it’s possible that he was seen as someone who may be disloyal to Castro,” said Flamm.

Castro ended the public school system in Cuba as part of his plan to re-educate the people. That meant that Sanchez and his wife, Josefina, were both out of work. To survive, Sanchez took a job working at the Havana harbor.

It was while he was at this job that the infamous Bay of Pigs invasion took place, an attempt to overthrow Castro carried out by exiled Cubans sponsored by the Central Intelligence Agency.
Whether you had experience or not, Sanchez said, everyone at harbors were given guns to fight off the attackers.

“They gave me a .45-caliber machine gun… They told me to shoot anyone who tried to get past the gate,” said Sanchez. “I had never used a gun in my life.”

After the invasion failed, Sanchez decided it was time for his family to get out of Cuba.

He applied for a visa to enter the United States in 1961. It was at that moment the Sanchez family became enemies of the state.
At the time, the Committee of the Defense of Revolution was watching everyone. The private buying, selling or trading of items was prohibited. To enforce this policy, the CDR took inventory of everything.

On April 29, 1962 Sanchez, his wife and two children arrived at the Havana airport with tickets for a one-way flight to Miami.

Everyone leaving the country had to be approved by officials at the airport to get on a plane. It was all going smoothly until it was Sanchez’s turn. He was stopped from boarding the plane because he had sold his car, a green 1951 Ford, instead of turning it over to the government.

Elsie, Sanchez’s daughter, still remembers hearing her brother screaming for their father as they sat on the plane without him.
Sanchez could not join his family in the United States until his car was in government hands.

Because of his family connections, Sanchez had a friend in the military who was able to track the new owner of the car. He bought the car back for more than he sold it and handed it over to
the government.

It was at this point that Sanchez realized he had another problem. During the complications at the airport, he ended up with his child’s passport and not his own. Without that passport, he would never be able to fly to America.

Fortunately, Sanchez had a cousin who was a pilot. He was able to arrange for another pilot to fly back to Havana with Sanchez’s passport and deliver it to him. He was finally able to leave Cuba, with only the clothes on his back and a single dime.

Sanchez arrived in Miami and met up with his family. He had trouble finding work, so one of his best friends invited his family to stay with them in Columbus. They have been in central Ohio
ever since.

Sanchez worked a couple different jobs in Columbus until he found what would become his career at Columbus Pest Control in 1965.
“In Cuba, I was afraid of bugs,” said Sanchez, “but I loved this job and driving to different cities in Ohio.”

Sanchez worked for Columbus Pest Control for 47 years before retiring in 2012. Sanchez has no interest in going back to Cuba, and refuses to travel there while it is under communist rule. However, his daughter Elsie feels differently and traveled to Cuba three years ago. She said she had wanted to go back all her life.

“People asked me why I wanted to go and just see destruction,” said Elsie. “It doesn’t matter, it is my land.”

Elsie is an artist, and went to Cuba through a program with other artists. She went back to her home, expecting it to be run down. However, the family that currently lives there took good care
of the house and fixed it to look brand new.

Elsie stood outside the house taking pictures and wanted to go inside. The family was hesitant at first because they did not know who she was. Elsie showed them a picture of her in front of
the house with the nanny who lived in the home after the Sanchezes left. The family then let Elsie in because they recognized the nanny. Once she was in the house, she could not believe how nice it looked.

After visiting her old home, she walked around the neighborhood talking to the locals. Some people told her, “This is hell, we’re hoping things change.”

Elsie said that if she didn’t become an artist she probably would’ve been a doctor. She received inspiration from her dad, who used to draw pictures at his job, and tried to draw what he drew.
She took night classes at Ohio State University, and it took 12 years to get her degree because she was working at the same time.

Elsie said her art is abstract. “I try to put all the emotion in the artwork without depicting anything.”

The Sanchez family still resides in central Ohio. While Elsie plans to travel to Cuba again soon, Mario said he “will never set foot in Cuba.”

Ohio Wesleyan, City of Delaware and Delaware County Show Collaboration with Entrepreneurial Ideas

By Kienan O’Doherty, Editor-In-Chief

A new chapter for the future has already been written for Ohio Wesleyan, the city of Delaware and Delaware County with the latest grand opening.

The Delaware Entrepreneurial Center at Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) opened its doors for the first time to the public with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony. The center, which takes the place of the old Stewart Annex, was completely remodeled to provide a home for those that are looking to venture into the business world.

With an industrial and modern theme, the center includes two floors filled with offices, open presentation floors, and small rooms where people can brainstorm and expand on ideas.

One of those offices already has an occupant. Jack Foley ’22 is the founder of ReYuze Cases, a company that creates and sells cellphone cases made of plastic recycled from the streets, canals, and landfills of Haiti. He believes that the opening of the center provides a bright light for students seeking entrepreneurship.

“A lot of students can get internships with companies here, like myself,” Foley said. “For any student at OWU that has a business idea, it allows them to collaborate with not only people in Delaware, but also via the OWU Connection, and this building represents that. It’s connecting OWU students with the community and entrepreneurial spirit.”

The center also featured many other student-founded businesses throughout the center, including Sweet Lizabella’s, a toffee company founded by Elizabeth Knowlton ’19, which prides itself on using four ingredients.

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, OWU President Rock Jones stated that the opening of the center is the first of its kind in the nation.

“We are not aware of another place in the country where city, county and university have come together on the university campus to do what’s happening here,” Jones said. “That is extraordinary, and it’s a reminder of the good fortune we all have to live in a community where the town and the county and university collaborate with one another, value one another, and want to create experiences with one another.”

The Delaware Entrepreneurial Center also provides a hub for residents as well, as City of Delaware Mayor Carolyn Kay Riggle sees more possibilities.

“Unfortunately, Delaware has been a bedroom community for quite a while,” Riggle said. “I would love to see more businesses stay here so that you’ll live here, [but] also work here and play here, so that we can offer everything, and I think this entrepreneurial center provides that opportunity.”

The 14th Amendment And It’s Modern Interpretation

By Maddie Matos A&E Editor mrmatos@owu.edu

The 14th Amendment received a new interpretation as Ohio Wesleyan University hosted a guest speaker for the annual Richard W. Smith Lecture series.

The speaker was Michael Les Benedict, who has a doctorate in history. Benedict is a specialist in constitutional and political issues regarding the Civil War era. Benedict works at Ohio State University as an emeritus professor.

The Smith lecture series is hosted by the Ohio Wesleyan department of history. The lecture is sponsored by the Richard W. Smith Endowed Fund in Civil War History, a fund that has been established in honor of former professor Richard W. Smith.

Smith taught at Ohio Wesleyan in the mid-20th century. He was popular among students, with several alumni returning to campus in support of the lecture and Smith.

Over 160 people attended the event, which was held in the Benes rooms in the Hamilton-Williams Campus Center.

University president Rock Jones and professor of history Barbara Terzian gave introductions prior to Benedicts presentation. Both Jones and Terzian expressed their enjoyment of the series and Benedict, with Terzian being more emotional.

“I have been really looking forward to this,” Terzian said. “He (Benedict) is my professor and Smith, my mentor.”

Benedict began his presentation with a discussion of how important the 14th Amendment is to history, and how it still impacts the United States today.

“It was a momentous event,” Benedict said. “It took a lot of pride on the southern states to agree to it.”

The amendment gives citizenship to all people born in the United States and allows the United States Congress to enforce this law. Through the passage of the amendment, African Americans and other minority groups became citizens and gained legal rights in society.

Benedict argued that the amendment established that it was the government’s job to defend rights.

“That is why we have government, to protect our rights,” Benedict said.

Benedict also discussed the role slavery had in the United States and the early days of the nation. Stating that the Constitution accommodated slavery and treated them like property, America was doomed to crack.

“The union could no longer endure,” Benedict said, quoting Abraham Lincoln.

Abolitionists were discriminated against, Benedict stated, with hundreds of protests and threats were made against them. The southern United States even went so far as to ban abolitionist literature and enforce the slave codes.

Benedict then discussed the beginnings of writing the amendment. He talked about early drafts of the document being proposed by different congressmen, including John Bingham, a representative from Ohio.

The presentation ended with a discussion of today’s implications the amendment holds. Benedict argued that the document made the United States Supreme Court more powerful than ever, an issue that continues today.

“Only now have we come to realize that the 14th amendment perhaps gives the court too much responsibility and gives us too little responsibility,” Benedict said.

The presentation closed with questions presented by the audience. Most questions were regarding the state of the Supreme Court in modern times and how citizens can have a voice in government. Benedict answered their question with a simple statement.

“Go vote,” Benedict said.

OWU busy buying and selling properties

By Tiffany Moore, Online Editor and John Bonus, Transcript Correspondent

The Ohio Wesleyan board of trustees bought two houses located near campus using part of the
$1.5 million gained from selling Austin Manor.

One of the properties is a home at 145 West William St., which currently separates the Smith
and Hayes Hall parking lots. The other is a residence at 46 Hayes St., which is next to Haycock
Hall and the Buildings and Grounds office.

Lauri Strimkovsky, vice president for finance and administration and treasurer, said in an email
to the Transcript that the property on West William Street will be used to expand student
parking.

Strimkovsky also said that a portion of the remaining funds from the Austin Manor sale will
potentially be used for repairs in Beeghly Library.

According to the Delaware County auditor’s website, Riverwest, a private investment firm in Columbus, bought Austin Manor Aug. 14, 2018. Strimkovsky said that RiverWest plans to make
improvements to the property so it can be used as a rental community.

“The property needed a substantial infusion of renovation dollars to modernize systems and bring the building up to current standards,” Strimkovsky said. “Rental revenues did not produce
adequate funds for this.”

Because of this and the fact that students no longer live in Austin Manor, the university senior leadership team recommended that the board of trustees sell the property.

The Transcript contacted Riverwest about the status and timeline of renovations but received no comment.

Austin Manor was built in 1923 as an all girls residency according to President Rock Jones. He said in an email interview that the building was converted into an intergenerational apartment
building in the 1980s.

This is not the first property that Ohio Wesleyan has sold in the past year. According to the Delaware County auditor website, the Hiram Perkins House was sold Nov. 13, 2017 to James
Manos for $170,000. It was previously used as a small living unit for the House of Peace and
Justice.

Strimkovsky said the university sold the house because it was no longer needed as a student residence and needed significant renovations.

In an email interview, Manos said he plans to use the property to build a 43 room hotel. This proposal was discussed at multiple Delaware city council meetings between June and August.

According to Manos, the council did not approve his initial plan because it included the construction of a parking lot in a residential area. In response, Manos proposed that parking
spaces be built into the ground floor of the hotel.

“Now that I’m keeping on the existing property which is zoned properly, all I need is a change of use, as a hotel is permitted on the Perkins property,” said Manos.

The council will be discussing this revised plan at a meeting in October. If the proposal is approved, Manos plans to start building the hotel in March 2019.

“Having a hotel close to campus is a great idea, especially for families who come to visit from long distances” said Paris Norman, a junior at OWU.

Nicholas Melvin, a senior at OWU, said having a hotel basically on campus would be awesome, but he would also like to see the historical aspects of the Perkins House remain intact.

According to Strimkovsky, the university currently does not plan to sell any more properties.