News – Page 50 – The Transcript

WCSA vote on changes to budget guidelines passes

At the Sept. 14 Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA) meeting, senators put new budget submission policies to vote.

The rules in effect for budget submission last semester directly affected clubs and other student organizations; most organizations depend on WCSA as their main source of funding. But some of the rules were outdated.

“Changes have not been made for two years,” said junior John Littlehale, WCSA’s treasurer. He went on to present the revised guidelines.

According to the budget committees’ documentation, one of the new rules is that the treasurer “shall request monthly statements of appropriate accounts from the advisor or Student Involvement Office liaison to the budget committee.”

Also added to the budget committee documentation is the provision that, “Any remaining WCSA funds in club accounts at the end of an academic year shall be taken out.”

Littlehale emphasized the point that WCSA does not double fund; but previous guidelines did not allow for unforeseen consequences that could hurt an organization’s financial planning.

For example, in the past, if a group submitted a budget proposal to WCSA that covered the cost of an equipment rental, and the renter had to increase their rates after the budget was approved, WCSA would not fund the difference.

Now, the budget guidelines include—under their policy not to double fund—the language: “With exception of circumstances in which the organization is not in control.”

The proposed guidelines, which were voted on and approved by the budget committee last week, were unanimously accepted by the full senate.

To see WCSA’s budgetary guidelines, click here.

It was also announced that Matthew Schultz, a sophomore, was selected to serve on the Academic Policy Committee, and that Carson Shaw, a sophomore, was selected for the Women and Gender Committee.

Rwandan genocide survivor speaks at OWU

For Immaculée Ilibagiza, a survivor of the 1994 Rwanda genocide, telling her story is of vital importance.

On Sept. 10, she discussed her book “Left To Tell” in Ohio Wesleyan’s Gray Chapel in front of hundreds of guests.

Ilibagiza’s book “recounts her struggle to find meaning and purpose after the horrific violence that killed nearly one million Tutsis,” according to the book’s description. Ilibagiza “hid with seven other women for 91 days inside a 3footby4foot bathroom during the violence.”

Ilibagiza also spoke on Sept. 11 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in downtown Delaware.

Ilibagiza has worked with the United Nations and has received five honorary doctoral degrees.

Among her many other accomplishments, she earned the Mahatma Gandhi International Award for Reconciliation and Peace in 2007 and has written seven books about her faith and life journey.

People from all over the Columbus area crowded alongside students in Gray Chapel to hear her speak. Columbus resident Birdie Weisenberger said, “Ilibagiza showed how humbling a simple relationship with God can be.”

Dorothy Tanner, another Columbus resident, said, “It was so inspiring to hear how someone with such a tough past and who has experienced such loss found something so great to get her through. I thought it was also really beneficial because you didn’t have to be a Catholic to understand her message.”

Throughout the talk, Ilibagiza explained the hardships she experienced and how she developed her relationship with God. Ilibagiza said, “One of the lessons I learned was that forgiveness is possible at all times. Another was the power of love; we take love so lightly, and what we lacked in our country was love. After the genocide I held love very close to my heart.”

“The last lesson was the power of prayer. Pray the rosary and to God everyday,” Ilibagize said.

“When we were going through the suffering, the worst feeling was to ask, ‘Why me, God? Why is this happening?’”

Ilibagiza demonstrated that one should always be thankful for the life they have and that her experience “shows you how short your time here is on earth.”

The events were free and concluded with book signings by Ilibagiza.

Welch gym consolidates equipment

By: Ross Hickenbottom, Transcript reporter

The fitness center located in Welch Hall has been the preferred workout location for many OWU students over the years. Lately, students have noticed missing equipment in the workout area.

Serving as a more convenient exercise facility than Edwards Gym (due to its proximity to the residential end of campus), Welch has been a favorite of non-athletes who cannot fit a workout into their busy routines.

“After work, whether I would get off early or late, I would be able to walk over to Welch to workout very easily,” said senior Shannon Hill. “Edwards just isn’t as convenient to walk to, especially later at night.”

Although the gym has lost a significant number of exercise machines, there are plans to host small group classes in the space. These include spinning and zumba, said Kimberlie Goldsberry, interim vice president for student affairs.

“The new Simpson-Querrey Fitness Center will also be open for all students to utilize, not exclusively athletes,” said Goldsberry.

Christopher Fink, chair of the department of health and human kinetics, does not think there should be any less opportunity to exercise in Welch, but noted that “we did consolidate some equipment so that there is more open space.”

“During the summer, because of the pending opening of the Simpson-Querrey facility this fall, our department and athletics took a closer look at the equipment that was available in Welch,” said Fink.

“We determined that there were quite a few pieces of equipment that were broken, and that some of the single-joint strength machines were not being used very frequently. So, we replaced the broken equipment, and to save space we purchased a multi-station strength machine that would do all of the same exercises as the single-joint machines, but would create more open space for fitness programming.”

Junior Trasina Diazmunoz is optimistic about these changes, as well as the Simpson-Querrey Fitness Center.

“I plan on using the new gym, and I’m really excited to see and use the new equipment,” she said.

Once the Simpson-Querrey facility is open this fall, students will have more workout options than in years past, including state-of-the-art cardio and strength equipment.

Future plans include maintaining hours convenient to all students. So far, this means 6 a.m. to midnight.

HBC a ‘home away’ despite damage

The House of Black Culture (HBC), while due for maintenance, continues to draw students to its doors.

The house serves as a dynamic living-learning environment for people who want to explore the culture and tradition of the African-American experience.

However, over time, the physical appearance of the 40-year-old house has declined.

Some of the damages include peeling paint on both the interior and exterior of the building, issues with worms entering showers and faulty wiring (the result of a 1994 robbery).

President Rock Jones is aware of these problems.

“The issues are being addressed,” said Jones. “While we look forward to new SLUs, we remain committed to ensuring the health, safety, cleanliness and hygiene of the existing buildings as long as they are in use.”

Despite the physical problems, the sense of community and mission of the house are being well-maintained.

“HBC’s conditions are very poor to a point where things continue to fall apart or deteriorate,” said Twanisha Taylor, a senior living in the house. “However, this hasn’t interfered with the role that it plays within the minority community. It serves as a home, a safe space, a communal gathering location and a place where we identify with multiple cultures.”

The house’s Resident Adviser (RA), senior Kaila Johnson, also spoke to the house’s condition, saying that the community, not the physical structure, is what makes HBC important.

“I’m really excited to be the RA of HBC – I hope to foster and preserve the legacy of community and safe space that the house has provided over the years,” said Johnson. “Despite the damages, HBC is a home away for many students on campus, and the OWU community actively supports that and hopes to continue to build that.”

“HBC is a treasured place on the OWU campus,” said Jones. “It is far more than a building, though it is important that we care well for the building in which the community lives and interacts. I am personally grateful to all who have contributed through the years to making this a valued community on our campus.”

Psychology professor elected to office

Psychology professor Sarah Bunnell received the good news in June; she had been elected vice president of the United States region for the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSoTL).

According to the organization’s website, “The goal [of the organization] is to foster inquiry and disseminate findings about what improves and articulates postsecondary learning and teaching.”

Bunnell began serving as vice president on July 1.

The position entails establishing quality guidelines and teaching and learning practices, as well as fostering collaboration over scholarly works.

Professor Bunnell says that she hopes that her position will help increase recognition of the scholarly teaching and learning done on liberal arts campuses and promote the value of a liberal arts education.

After receiving her PhD at the University of Kansas, Bunnell joined the Ohio Wesleyan psychology department in 2010. Bunnell teaches psychology courses at all levels.

Bunnell’s colleagues support her new leadership role. “Dr. Bunnell’s active participation and leadership in this organization has helped her promote important discussions,” said professor Lynda Hall, chair of the department.

“Over the next three years, I’m looking forward to increasing the profile of Ohio Wesleyan and other liberal arts campuses, to contribute to the larger scholarly body of work on teaching and learning and to hopefully increase student involvement in this conversation and collaborative process,” says Bunnell.

To speak to your representative, press enter

Even if you do not know where the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA) meets every Monday, your voice can be heard with the click of a button. At the Sept. 7 full senate, a new comment feature made its debut.

Class of 2017 representative Jessica Choate, a junior, developed and presented the online system. Students can find the interface on the WCSA website. After selecting a specific committee to contact (or the general senate) and inputting their comment or suggestion, students’ ideas are sent directly to their student government leaders’ emails.

“The online comment cards mean that WCSA is accessible to students, now more than ever before,” said Choate. “And that’s really exciting.”

Sophomore Areena Arora, chair of the academic affairs committee, informed senators about an upcoming academic forum. The forum brings “students, faculty, and administrators together to discuss a topic of general interest,” said Arora. “Last year it was about general education requirements. This year, we want as much student input as possible.”

Senior Emma Drongowski, vice president of WCSA, mentioned that the new comment feature would be an efficient way to receive feedback about the forum’s subject of discussion.

Several senators who brought lunch from the Ham-Will Food Court announced that reusable containers, an ongoing project on WCSA’s books, had finally been implemented. Students can opt for the eco-friendly carry out boxes in lieu of the standard white paper cartons.

“When a student picks a reusable container, they are charged five dollars and can bring it back to reuse,” said Drongowski. “It’s an awesome step to reduce the amount of cardboard and paper students use.”

Once a student returns the reusable container, the initial charge is refunded.

Before the end of the meeting, Public Safety (PS) officer Bob Wood also addressed the full senate. He wanted to explain the recent switch to a digital application for parking permits. He said that “because the PS staff was reduced by half,” due to budget cuts, they are “trying to think of ways to move inefficient office tasks online.”

He also mentioned that due to a lack of use, PS is considering changing the “B” parking lots behind the fraternities to “C” lots.

“It’s all about making it more convenient for students,” Wood said.

Campus for the cure

Students watch from afar as two volleyball teams compete. Photo by Susan Ugalde.

On Saturday, Sept. 5, at the Delta Tau Delta sand pit, the Ohio Wesleyan Greek community came together for charity and a little competition.

Beach Bash is an annual volleyball tournament held by OWU’s Mu chapter of Delta Tau Delta.

The philanthropic event raises money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

The Mu chapter of Ohio Wesleyan originally established the event four years ago, prior to the national fraternity’s partnership with the organization.

Since the partnership in 2012, the national fraternity has donated approximately $250,000 to the research foundation. Over the years, Beach Bash has typically raised between $300 and $500, depending on the year.

Many fraternities and sororities on campus entered teams in the tournament. The Delts even extended a special invitation to the Small Living Units (SLUs).

Students mingle by the sand volleyball court. Photo by Susan Ugalde.

Typically each team pays $30 to enter, but SLUs were asked to give as much as they felt comfortable giving. While the Greek associations have funds devoted to events like Beach Bash, SLUs have a limited budget.

Besides reaching out to the SLUs, the Delts hoped to attract other non-affiliated teams to increase campus involvement. The Delts offered to complete teams with their own members so more individuals could participate.

Sophomore Alex Niswonger, a Delt, noted that “the most important thing about an event is to get the whole entire school involved.” He added that the fraternity had a great platform to spread awareness.

Sophomore Zac Worley, a member of Chi Phi, also stated that increased awareness among new students could potentially help long-term involvement with such events.

Class of 2019 settling in

Members of the Class of 2019 move in. Photo by Lisa DiGiacomo.

After much anticipation and preparation, the class of 2019 has finally arrived.

Continuing the tradition of welcoming freshmen to campus, Ohio Wesleyan students called on the Greek community to organize and assist with move-in day.

“I love move-in day,” said senior associate director of admission Patricia “Pat” Kelly. “It’s such an exciting time, and it’s my favorite time of the year because it’s when I get to see freshmen settle into their home away from home.”

Since then, organizations like the Campus Programming Board and the office of Residential Life have been staging orientation activities, free events and socials exclusively for freshmen.

Although statistical information about the class of 2019 was not available when this article was written, convocation data suggests an actively involved freshman class.

Specifically, the class of 2019 comprises 267 varsity athletes, 117 varsity sport captains, 92 high school musicians and 224 students who participated in community service and volunteer work.

Christopher Bonner, a freshman from Parma, Ohio, falls into one of those categories. “I chose OWU because my football coach at Valley Forge High said great things about it, and I visited and loved it, too,” he said.

In an attempt to combat low enrollment, this summer, OWU expanded its publications, developed its website and hired a new marketing firm to design banners that currently line campus walkways.

“The reason we are developing all of this is to develop a better way to share the OWU connection,” said Director of Admissions Alisha Couch.

No matter how the numbers turn out, or what the banners look like, the freshmen are here to stay.

Edwards renovations come to a close

The Edwards Fitness Center is, in a sense, a new building. This semester is the first that many sophomores are seeing it. Its remodeled interior, though incomplete, is now modern and sleek.

Built in 1906, it is now over 100 years old. After a large donation from Louis A. Simpson, class of 1958, and his wife Kimberly K. Querrey, the Edwards Fitness Center became the focus of a large scale construction project, much like Merrick Hall.

Though students are now free to roam Merrick, Edwards remains closed. Meant to be done by the end of August, construction was recently delayed, and the building is not set to open until early or mid-September.

Athletics Director Roger Ingles commented that the delay was due to back-ordered flooring, which is set to come in on August 31. Installation should take a few days. After the flooring is placed, equipment still needs to be moved in and staff must be trained. However, that does not mean certain facilities are still unavailable to students.

The Edwards Gymnasium basketball court shortly after being re-done during the 2013-14 school year. Photo by Roger Ingles and Larry Hamill.

Ingles explained that several classes and module courses will be moved into the fitness center after fall break, if not sooner. As of the first day of classes, the weight room in the basement of Edwards is open. Certain classes, like jazzercise, are already being held in the finished basketball court. Contrary to rumors, the fitness center in its current state is open to all students.

While many students are excited about the new facilities, many are concerned about the loss of the Belt Fitness Center in Welch Hall. Though hot and musty year round, “Welch Gym” is a convenient resource on the residential side of campus. According to President Rock Jones, Welch Gym will remain open, but not to the same extent as before. A few cardio machines will remain but the space will also be used for “fitness classes and other group exercise experiences.”

With such a lengthy renovation, one would expect massive improvements; however, one student noted her disappointment. Senior Alex Cook mentioned that the now open weight room looks exactly the same as it did before. However, she did state that other parts of the building were in desperate need of improvement prior to the beginning of construction and is pleased with their progress.

Though currently limited, once construction is complete, Edwards will have new cardiovascular equipment and circuit machines. Each machine will have internet access for convenience.

The approximate times the facilities will be open are from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays. Edwards will close earlier on Fridays and open later on the weekends.

Law enforcement heroes come to OWU, share their stories

Though no crime had been committed, on Aug. 17, hundreds of law enforcement officers from across the country arrived at sunny Ohio Wesleyan. As part of the second annual Leadership in Crisis conference, the officers discussed their work experiences in hopes of educating police forces around the country.

John DiFava, chief of police at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and one of the visiting officers, “served as the incident commander of the institution during the search of the Boston Marathon bombers who ultimately murdered MIT police officer Sean Collier,” according to an event pamphlet.

Michael Kehoe, “chief of police in Newtown, Connecticut,…was one of the first through the doors at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting,” was also in attendance.

“Each officer discussed the events they experienced, how they had to respond and what they have learned from those incidents,” said Public Safety officer Robert Wood.

According to Wood, “the presenters got the people who attend the event thinking about how they would respond if they encountered a similar tragedy.”

Wood organized the event and brought it to campus along with officer Tom Saccenti of Furman University’s university police.

Saccenti said, “This event was incredibly successful. We had a very large amount of people attend, and the feedback we received showed that so many people got a lot out of the conference.”

Saccenti said he would consider holding the event again in a different state so they could gather together people that have yet to attend the conference.