Hurricane Matthew recently hit Haiti, causing destruction and devastation that has not yet been fully assessed. This is a category 4 storm, with winds over 125 mph and 25 inches of rain. Pwoje Espwa Sud, an orphanage in southern Haiti with strong ties to Ohio Wesleyan, has been severely impacted by this storm.
Espwa is home to approximately 350 children, provides education to over 1,000 students, employs over 200 Haitians, and provides free medical care to the community. Fortunately, all of the children and staff are safe in the aftermath of the hurricane. Unfortunately, Espwa has faced substantial damage and the local community will be susceptible to illnesses such as cholera in the coming weeks.
Over 200 boys have been moved to the primary school and the kids are eating emergency food supplies in shifts. The homes in the boys’ village and the secondary school have been destroyed, in addition to the majority of trees and crops. Electricity is out for southern Haiti and the roads are impassible, making the delivery of supplies extremely difficult. Luckily, the girls’ homes are sturdier, and they have stayed safe there. However, it is likely that more children will need to seek refuge at Espwa in the near future due destruction within the local community.
Ohio Wesleyan has many ties to Espwa, with dozens of students, faculty, and staff visiting since 2010. So far there have been six OWU alumnae who have worked as guest house managers at Espwa: Kelsey Ullom ’14, Rachel Vinciguerra ’14, Brenda Gable ’15, and Kate Raulin ’12. Currently, Lizzy Wynne ’16 and Emma Sparks ’16 are on-the-ground at Espwa. We believe that Emma and Lizzy are safe. We all love the children at Espwa from the bottom of our hearts and are fearful of what this hurricane could mean for them. However, we know there are Bishops who are willing to help.
If you would like to donate, please make a contribution to Free the Kids, which is a U.S. based nonprofit organization whose sole mission is to support the work at Pwoje Espwa. You may visit their website atwww.freethekids.org. A donation can also be made to:
Free the Kids
5704 W. Market Street #8947
Greensboro, NC 27419
Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
Brenda Gable ‘15, Kate Raulin ‘12, Rachel Vinciguerra ‘14, and Kelsey Ullom ‘14
Jenny Holland, a professor of politics and government at Ohio Wesleyan, was recently quoted in a New York Times article about the impact Delaware County voting demographics and local economic growth will have on who voters choose to support.
Her analysis was included in Binyamin Appelbaum’s article “Reliably Red Ohio County Finds Both Trump and Clinton Hard to Stomach,” which was published Sept. 9.
Ohio, considered a “purple” state because neither Democrats nor Republicans control a majority of the electorate, is home to 18 sought after electoral votes.
The same does not apply to Ohio’s Delaware County which, historically, has been a Republican county.
Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, is looking to capitalize on the decades long economic disillusionment of voters from the “rust belt.”
Due to economic improvement, residents of the county are second-guessing their choice for president. Many do not identify with Trump’s message.
Holland, who received a doctorate for her research on campaigns and elections, spoke about the importance of this change in priorities.
“What do you do if the Republican candidate is unpalatable to you … do you just show up and not vote for president at all? Or, could there be a possibility that a Republican woman would show up and vote for Hillary Clinton? We just don’t know.”
Despite her insight, Holland would not make any predictions about who will call themselves the 45th president of the U.S. come Nov. 8.
But she said she expects this election will be won by “the candidate with the most organized, best ground game.”
This is not the first time Holland has been included in a major news agency’s story. Last July, she was quoted in the Wall Street Journal in a similar story about Delaware County voting patterns.
“I was really impressed by what she had to say and think she is a great voice for our school,” junior Xander Pacilio said.
Holland currently oversees OWU’s voter registration drive and said she is optimistic this initiative will get more students participating.
“This drive provides students with an exciting opportunity to get involved by exercising a very important right—the right to vote,” Holland said.
Some of those who watched the first presidential debate may have been asking themselves: how did we get Donald Trump (R) and Hillary Clinton (D) as our presidential nominees?
Michael Cohen, a columnist for the Boston Globeand World Review, addressed the concerns ordinary Americans have about the candidates before students and faculty Wednesday, Sept. 21 in Merrick Hall.
Cohen, who has covered both Clinton and Trump’s respective campaigns for the last 15 months, began with a quote from William Faulkner about history repeating itself: “The past is not dead, it’s not even past.”
He then elaborated on those similarities this year’s election shares with another famous, though controversial, election year: 1968.
According to Cohen, Trump, the GOP’s nominee for president is not unlike Alabama’s George Wallace, a Dixiecrat, who divided the Democratic party prior to the General Election of 1968.
Both Trump and Wallace, considered outsiders to Washington’s establishment politics, have a history of using “strong but hateful rhetoric” to appeal to the interests of their constituents.
Citing his most recent publication, “American Maelstrom: The 1968 Election and the Politics of Division,” Cohen criticized the explicitly racist and misogynistic overtures coming from Trump and his supporters.
“When it comes to Trump, it’s not a matter of issues or ideology; it’s about fear … existential fears,” Cohen said.
Brian Goldaber, a politics and government major, said he enjoyed Cohen’s analysis and felt Cohen’s comparisons between Wallace and Trump were appropriate.
“They both capture a sense of frustration with the established political order and they overtly say a lot of things that conventional politicians would never say,” Goldaber said.
Jenny Holland, assistant professor of politics and government, moderated the event and led a Q&A once Cohen concluded his speech.
One audience member, soliciting Cohen’s opinion on gender’s impact on the race, wanted to know how “Trump supporters [those he’s met while covering the campaign] have responded when they were asked about the possibility of the first ever female presidency.”
Tyler Iffland, who remains unsure of which candidate he prefers, said he does not think that gender matters as much as each candidate’s lack of transparency.
“How can I confidently vote for Clinton when she can’t release her emails, and how can I confidently vote for Trump if he’s hiding his tax returns?” Iffland said.
Members of the Arneson Institute for Practical Politics and Public Affairs organized the lecture.
Although $109 million has been raised in two years, this is not the end; Ohio Wesleyan’s ongoing capital campaign is only halfway through.
The seven-year campaign, “Connect Today, Create Tomorrow,” was launched on July 1, 2014 with a target of raising $200 million.
The comprehensive campaign is an initiative to raise a very specific amount, in a specific time frame, and for specific purposes, according to Jodi Bopp, assistant vice president for university advancement.
“We’re on track to meet and exceed our goal but that requires a whole lot of generosity, which is never taken for granted,” Bopp said.
The money received is put to use as it comes. “It’s being used today … as money is received, it is put to use immediately,” Bopp said.
Total new gifts and commitments to the program in the year 2015-16 were $27 million, according to a report submitted to the faculty by Colleen Garland, vice president for university advancement.
The objective of the campaign is to raise 75 percent of the target ($200 million) in outright gifts and 25 percent in estate commitments, according to the report.
The campaign fundraising is divided into four kinds of funds: endowment, capital improvement, unrestricted non endowed and current annual giving.
The share of endowment money is the highest at $58,898,836, which is divided to be spent on the OWU Connection, faculty recruitment and retention, scholarships and financial aid, among other things.
As part of the campaign, revitalization of Merrick Hall and Edwards Gymnasium and Simpson Querrey Fitness Center were fully funded through donations.
Bopp said, “All of the new SLUs are being built exclusively through philanthropy … no tuition money is going to that.”
The most recent contribution to the campaign came from Delaware residents Joe and Linda Diamond, who donated to establish a multimillion dollar fund to sponsor a scholarship for OWU students.
The campaign’s fund use priority includes spending $40 million on capital improvements. This includes renovations on academic campus completed last year and improvements in residential facilities, including the two new SLUplexes being built this year.
A major share of the fundraising, $85 million, is to be invested into student programs like scholarships, financial aid and the OWU Connection.
Donors are contacted using various different methods including physical mail, phone calls and in person meetings.
Bopp said, “There are as many ways of communicating to a donor as there are means of communication.”
President Rock Jones also spends a lot of time fundraising for the university over cups of coffees and conversations.
Jones said, “I am thrilled. We are very fortunate to be at this point in the third year of the leadership phase of the campaign. We are fortunate that our alumni and other friends of Ohio Wesleyan care deeply about the university and want to make generous philanthropic commitment to support the mission of the university … there’s much more to be accomplished.”
He added, “This has been a campaign that has seen extraordinary gifts from a large number of people. Many of the largest gifts to the campaign came from people who have never given or at least not at the level that they are giving now. It is hard for me to single out one or two … there are so many stories of deep generosity.”
The single largest priority of the fundraising is endowment for scholarship and financial aid. Endowment for faculty positions is a very significant component, Jones said.
Bopp said, “Endowment fund is an investment fund. If you give $100, that would stay invested … and we would be using the interest from it. An endowed fund can support really anything at the university. Board of Trustees often want to grow the endowment. Ours is somewhere north of $200 million … it provides financial underpinning to the university.”
Since endowment funds are invested and grow, they are sustainable.
Jones said, “It is here forever.”
The 22-member Campus Campaign Committee, chaired by Darrell Albon, administrative director of OWU Connections program, is in charge of leading the fundraising efforts. The committee includes faculty and staff members and students.
Jenny Holland, a professor of politics and government at Ohio Wesleyan, was recently quoted in a New York Times article about the impact Delaware County voting demographics and local economic growth will have on who voters choose to support.
Her analysis was included in Binyamin Appelbaum’s article “Reliably Red Ohio County Finds Both Trump and Clinton Hard to Stomach,” which was published Sept. 9.
Ohio, considered a “purple” state because neither Democrats nor Republicans control a majority of the electorate, is home to 18 sought after electoral votes.
The same does not apply to Ohio’s Delaware County which, historically, has been a Republican county.
Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, is looking to capitalize on the decades long economic disillusionment of voters from the “rust belt.”
Due to economic improvement, residents of the county are second-guessing their choice for president. Many do not identify with Trump’s message.
Holland, who received a doctorate for her research on campaigns and elections, spoke about the importance of this change in priorities.
“What do you do if the Republican candidate is unpalatable to you … do you just show up and not vote for president at all? Or, could there be a possibility that a Republican woman would show up and vote for Hillary Clinton? We just don’t know.”
Despite her insight, Holland would not make any predictions about who will call themselves the 45th president of the U.S. come Nov. 8.
But she said she expects this election will be won by “the candidate with the most organized, best ground game.”
This is not the first time Holland has been included in a major news agency’s story. Last July, she was quoted in the Wall Street Journal in a similar story about Delaware County voting patterns.
“I was really impressed by what she had to say and think she is a great voice for our school,” junior Xander Pacilio said.
Holland currently oversees OWU’s voter registration drive and said she is optimistic this initiative will get more students participating.
“This drive provides students with an exciting opportunity to get involved by exercising a very important right—the right to vote,” Holland said.
On Sept. 16 and 17, the alumni office reminded women they are not just Ohio Wesleyan women for four years, they are an Ohio Wesleyan woman for life.
The inaugural Women of Wesleyan Leadership Forum attracted more than 100 alumni and current students to share in the success of OWU women.
The idea was planted just six months ago to bring back a targeted population. There were six decades worth of alumni represented at the forum.
Panels throughout the weekend included Women Leading the Way, Charting her own path for women entrepreneurs, as well as a philanthropy panel of women working for nonprofits.
Ashley Biser, a professor in politics and government, led a study in recent years that proved that the women on OWU’s campus have historically been more involved on campus than the men.
Biser, who sat on the Women of Wesleyan Leadership committee, put together a student panel for alumni to hear from current women of OWU.
“I think I am a leader first, then I am a woman … being a woman here has allowed me to discover my own power,” senior Jess Choate said. “There are so many different areas where women come together to support each other.”
At the end of the panel, during the Q&A session, one of the questions asked to students was, “Do you think this panel is representative of all Ohio Wesleyan women on campus.”
The panel said since they all came from different backgrounds and social groups on campus, they summed up the feelings of women on campus pretty well.
Diane Petersen ‘66 opened the weekend as the first keynote speaker. Petersen spoke about her time at OWU as a transformative period, as she was the first African-American woman in the country to join a traditionally white sorority.
Petersen’s journey was not as smooth as others in college in the 60’s in order to become a sister of Delta Delta Delta (Tri-Delta) sorority. In Petersen’s years at OWU, ‘62-’66, she saw OWU move from conservative to a little more liberal.
Tracie Winbigler ’87 was brought on the board because she has had experience leading women in the workplace as she currently serving as the CFO of the national retail company REI and previously served as the CFO of National Geographic. She co-chaired the event with Colleen Nissl ’72, the executive vice president and global general counsel for NetJets Inc.
Winbigler and Nissl were co-chairs of an external committee to organize the event, while Katie Webster, the Director of Alumni Relations helped lead the internal committee on campus.
They not only brought these women together to celebrate but also to learn from each other.
Students who attended the forum were able to network with alumni and learn what recent grads are doing to become successful.
“My daughter is a freshman at Wesleyan, so partly she is gone and I have more time and she is going to Wesleyan and I went to Ohio Wesleyan and I thought this was a good opportunity to reconnect,” said Janet Gross, ‘81.
Martha Noreault ‘66 said, “Diane Petersen is a member of my class and she did such a wonderful job at speaking at our reunion that I wanted to hear her speak again.”
The alumi office has sent out surveys to get feedback to find out what they can do better for Women of Wesleyan 2017. “In the future, we hope to include even more students and faculty in the event and do some mentoring through the forum,” said Webster.
By Courtney Dunne, Editor-in-Chief and Areena Arora, Managing Editor
Wednesday, Sept. 28 was not a typical day at OWU. Edward Snowden joined the OWU community for a video conversation.
Snowden, former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, appeared before an audience of OWU students, faculty, staff and Delaware residents from an unconfirmed location in Moscow, Russia via Google Hangouts in University Hall’s Gray Chapel.
Photo courtesy of freedom.press
In 2013, Snowden came under light for leaking classified NSA documents to journalists that brought forth the NSA’s detailed plans of citizen surveillance and metadata collection. The U.S. government indicted Snowden on charges of theft and under the Espionage Act of 1917. He is currently in asylum in Russia.
He talked about the process of gaining special privilege security access and problems with mass citizen surveillance. He said the process heightened post 9/11 as part of NSA’s efforts to locate sleeper cells in the country.
Snowden was invited to speak at OWU as part of this year’s Sagan National Colloquium Series “Data in our Lives.” Craig Jackson and Sean McCulloch, associate professors of math and computer science, contacted Snowden through an anonymous agency. The idea to get Snowden was Jackson’s.
McCulloch said, “The fact that we invited him should not [be] construed as we’re agreeing with him or endorsing him.”
Jackson said, “[The agency doesn’t] advertise that they represent Edward Snowden, so I cannot share their information.”
The agents, according to Jackson, are a U.S. based speakers bureau. He said, “I don’t know that I want to be too specific … there is not a well documented way to [contact Snowden] … It’s kind of an open secret. If you read about [Snowden], the legal process, who is representing him both in the U.S. and abroad, it becomes pretty clear who you should talk to … Even if you don’t talk to the right people in the beginning, you can get there.”
Just like other speakers in the series, Snowden was paid. The amount was undisclosed, as part of the contract with the agency. However, according to Jackson, the total budget for the entire Sagan series is $30,000.
McCulloch said, “It’s legal to pay him … We’re also not writing a check to him directly.”
Jackson added, “You work through the agent and agent pays the speaker, of course they take a bit off the top … And we are paying Snowden’s agents.”
Jackson said they learned on Sept. 23 that the administration had decided not to do any publicity for this event. He said, “They had done publicity for our other events … they had decided not to do press releases for this event.”
Jackson said, “Sean [McCulloch] and I had a conversation with University Communications about this and we compromised a little bit … because of that conversation, they did end up sending out a press release.” He added, “Word did get out, it just didn’t get out as soon as I would’ve liked it to.”
A press release, was sent out by Cole Hatcher, director of media and public relations on Sept. 26. The press release was shared with about 40 contacts, including, but not limited to, The Associated Press, Delaware Gazette and The Columbus Dispatch, according to Hatcher.
McCulloch said, “It’s not prominent on the website as we think it ought to be … This could’ve been a much bigger deal.”
Jackson said they appreciate the help they got from the Communications Office. “It’s just on this one event we didn’t get as much help as we wanted,” he said.
He said, “This is a controversial speaker. Many people believe he is a villain, a traitor … there’s nothing illegal about what we are doing … but [they] disagree with our choice to invite him and because of that they were vocal about it … The word that came to us, was that it included at least some of the trustees of the university.”
Snowden was the best source of information about data and national security because people currently employed by NSA are not at liberty to discuss their work in detail, while Snowden is very open about how metadata is used for private citizen surveillance, according to Jackson.
President Rock Jones said, “I have heard from individuals who are quite pleased that Edward Snowden is participating in the Sagan National Colloquium and from individuals who are concerned about his participation. As always, I believe it is important for the campus to engage in thoughtful conversation on topics of importance and with individuals who represent a variety of perspectives.”
Board of Trustees member Gregory Moore ‘76 said, “I’m not aware of any trustee being aware or unhappy with it. I’d be surprised if that’s the case … I have not received any communication about it nor did I expect to … [Trustees are] not generally notified of such events on a vibrant college campus.”
He also said he believes in bringing in a variety of viewpoints to OWU and said with Snowden being in the news lately, timing could not have been better.
While the two-hour talk was streamed live on OWU’s website, it was not archived, per the conditions of the contract with the agency.
A Q&A session followed the talk. Several audience members asked questions about private companies’ data collection, the first amendment and actions private citizens can take, among others.
Snowden remains engaged in conversations around government and mass surveillance, where he currently serves on the board of directors for the Freedom of the Press Foundation.
If you’ve seen some fresh bowties around campus this semester chances are you have seen Brad Pulcini, one of OWU’s newest addition to faculty.
The Transcript stopped by Pulcini’s office to get an idea of who he is and what he plans to achieve.
Q: Where are you from?
A: Originally from Pittsburgh but I have lived in Columbus the last 8 years.
Q: What made you want to work in education?
A: My initial degree was in social studies for secondary education. However in grad school I got a position working in the freshman development office and it was there I realized I liked working with college students. It’s a unique age where a lot of transitional stuff is happening. I was someone who transferred twice as an undergrad and needed help with going through the process so I knew that I wanted to do that for other people.
Q: What is your position at OWU?
A: Assistant Dean for Student Engagement and Director 0f the First Year Experience.
Q: Can you give a brief overview of your position and what it requires?
A: My main focus is working with first year students during their transition from high school to college and helping them to successfully navigate their way through freshman year. We want to bring all the great things already happening at OWU into a cohesive process and expand on that. So I’ll be looking at making programs, services, support and other educational things to help students in their first year. And in my Assistant Dean role I see over the student involvement office.
Q: Why did you decide the job was a good fit for your skills?
A: OWU was always attractive to me because of the type of institution it is being a liberal arts school that is fully residential but also is focused on globalization and looking at developing the whole student. When I saw the position was open I had to apply. I’m happy I was selected for the position because I really believe in the work being done here in regards to student success and I’m very excited to be at a place that puts such value on making sure students are successful in and out of the classroom
Q: What does OWU need to improve on in terms of your job?
A: I’ve only been here a month so I’m still figuring that out. I’ve been meeting with a lot of different people on campus to get to know how things work. I think OWU does a lot of great things for it’s students but it needs to come under a cohesive effort and then we can build off that.
Q: What motivates you the most?
A: Definitely the students. It’s getting to know them and their success that motivates me to do what I do. In my previous job I did a lot of behind the scenes work and now I’m happy to be working day to day with students. To me if you’re not in higher education to work directly with students for their success then you’re not in it for the right reasons. Students are a huge investment in not only the future of Wesleyan but in our society and as faculty in higher education we have a great opportunity to shape that and help students realize their potential.
Q: What are your goals here at OWU?
A: Long term we really want to create a comprehensive first year program that from admissions all the way to sophomore year supports and challenges students while helping to ingrain them into OWU. It’s going to take some time and work to do that but it is exciting work to begin.
Q: What do you do for fun?
A: I am in a Ph.D program and I am the father of a four- year-old and a two-year-old so there isn’t too much free time between work, school and my family. However, when I do have free time, I love running and reading. I’ve completed several full and half marathons. My job requires a lot of extrovertism so when I do have time to myself, I love to relax and read.
Q: What motivates you the most?
A: Definitely the students. It’s getting to know them and their success that motivates me to do what I do.
The OWU Connection welcomed students to Merrick Hall on Sept. 16 to explore the travel-learning courses that will be offered next spring.
Travel-Learning courses are designed to help students connect their classroom experiences to the real world.
The courses being offered this year vary across a wide spectrum of subjects. Students can go anywhere from England and France to study castles and cathedrals, to the Galapagos Islands to study island biology.
One of the new courses being offered next semester is Introduction to Electronic Music. Students in the class will learn about the history of electronic and computer music and then travel to Paris where electronic music is rooted.
One student who has taken advantage of travel-learning courses is senior Jessica Sanford, who has already visited Mexico and France. This year, she said she is taking a Chamber Choir Travel-Learning and will visit Italy in the winter.
“It adds meaning to a subject and it teaches students to question their worldview, which is what a liberal arts education aims to achieve,” said Sanford.
Applications for all travel-learning courses were uploaded online at the end of the fair. The application deadline is Oct. 2 and students will receive a decision before mid-semester break.
Tuition for Ohio’s four-year universities rose by five percent, or by $523, since 2008.
Pressure from college-age voters and paying parents rests on the major 2016 presidential candidates to make shifts in debt percentages and the quality of higher education for future generations.
The elimination of tuition and a utopian future with debt free college is the vision that democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has prided herself on since the beginning of her campaign trail.
Facing much criticism, her administration laid a concrete plan to restore and expand Pell Grants to cover low and middle-class families in their possible debts, set an income requirement for those who would be exempt from tuition costs and to create on-campus work mandates to help relieve the cost of student attendance.
Clinton looks to galvanize millennial voters to get the majority on board with her efforts for college students.
“What we’ve been basically doing on this campus is trying to register voters on campus and make sure they are registered at the right address,” said freshman Evan Williams, a contributor to OWU’s student efforts to increase student participation in the upcoming election.
OWU students seem to favor Clinton or Gary Johnson, Williams said.
“But our real goal is to make sure people have the right address and access to information they need,” he said.”
Republican candidate Donald Trump, however, has made less explicit notions about plans for higher education in terms of finance.
His administration has given few specifics, but hint that his stance during the fall campaign will greatly contrast that of the Clinton campaign in terms of debt free tuition.
He criticizes logical backing for her motives, particularly regarding funding and legislation for loans.
“Many of the ideas on which the Trump campaign is working involve a complete overhaul of the federal student loan system,” wrote Sam Clovis, policy director of Trump’s campaign, for Inside Higher Ed.
“Moving the government out of lending and restoring that role to private banks, as was the case before President Clinton partially and President Obama fully shifted loan origination from private lenders to the government.”
This outline would theoretically allow local banks to lend to students within their geographical reach, and to wield more power in deciding which students are deserving of dollars based on not only their current status, but also what they can hypothetically achieve in the future.
This would likely make loans more exclusive based on degree of need and prospective majors, as it works toward spending less federal money on loans that will not result in economic product.
Gary Johnson, the prospective third party and libertarian candidate, has stressed the elimination of Common Core and a majority of policies that give the federal government access to all standards of education.
He proposes terminating the Board of Education to give both secondary and higher education students the opportunity to be directed and given opportunities locally, rather than under federal mandates.
The upcoming fall election leaves room for all candidates to provide their final thoughts and proposals in the college controversy.
