Pending a decision by the Academic Policy Committee (APC), Course Connections could be adopted as potential minors for Ohio Wesleyan students.
According to the Course Connection (CCs) website, CCs are âcrossÂdivisional networks of courses organized around common themes.â
Philosophy professor Erin Flynn, director of the CCs program, explained that when first created, âin the broadest sense, the programâs goal was to advance crossÂdivisional knowledge and interaction among students and faculty.â
Professor Anne Sokolsky, director of the âSilk Roadâ CC, stated that the program originally âcame out of an interest to make our general education requirements have some rhyme and reason to them, so that students aren’t just taking a literature course because they have to, but taking a literature course and a science course and a social science course and having some sort of sense of a flow, or an interconnectedness.â
While the core goal of connecting courses still remains, Flynn said the university has recently been considering changes to the program because âstudent understanding of and participation in the CCs remain too low, relative to the resources the university has been putting into the program.â
Changing CCs into minors would ideally increase student participation in the program by placing a more formal academic emphasis on CCs. When asked about the reason behind the changes, Sokolsky mirrored Flynnâs explanation, informing that, according to student feedback, âwhen you [as a faculty member involved in a CC] do call out and say âDo you want to go on this trip?â
or âDo you want to go to a lecture?â if the student has ten thousand things to do, even if they want to do it, they just canât.â
As to the likelihood of actual changes to the program, Professor Chris Fink, one of the faculty contacts for the âFoodâ CC, noted that âthere have been discussions about new minors in various areas, but itâs really important to point out that it has all been discussion at this point.â
Flynn similarly commented, âAn advisory group has made recommendations to the Academic Policy Committee regarding how the program might be transformed, but what will be done with the recommendations is up to APC.â
The Marketplace is one of the on-campus dining options available to students. There, they can use their food points with no additional markup. Photo by Alex Gross ’18.
Using Ohio Wesleyan food points to get an off-campus meal isnât a bargain.
According to WCSA President Jerry Lherrison, students can be charged up to 44 percent extra by the establishment they visit. Furthermore, OWU takes 30 percent of all off-campus purchases, regardless of a mark-up, which encourages participating businesses to increase prices just to break even on those purchases.
In other words, the university and local business benefit when points are used off-campus, but itâs no deal for students. The 100 points students purchase through their meal plans each semester donât go as far a students might think. And many students donât use them, even though theyâve paid for them.
Students are given a degree of control over the program through a voting system that decides which restaurants will be included each year, but even that process has its flaws.
The largest problem with the voting system seems to be that many, if not most, students donât know when or how to vote. In the fall of 2014, WCSA announced the process through a news release which also included a notice about the schoolâs activity fee increasing.
Last year, 426 of 1,830 students signed into a WCSA survey to vote. Out of those, 398 voted.
Hamilton Williams card office secretary Nancy Tumeo said most students seem to know very little, if anything, about the program and many students â particularly freshmen â donât take advantage of their off-campus points at all.
The number of eateries that can participate is limited by the university, based on the number of card-scanning machines it has to distribute to the businesses.
Confusion exists on the other side of the program as well.
Richard Upton, owner of Delaware’s J.Gumbo’s, in his restaurant. Photo courtesy of youtube.com.
Richard Upton, owner of JGumboâs, said, âIâm very happy to be in the program. I think itâs done well for business, but itâs hard to connect with the students about the restaurant and get them to vote.â
Upton said students who work for him suggested the best method for advertising would be flyers because other methods, such as including releases in the OWU Daily, are ignored by most students. Upton resorted to hanging signs in his establishment, encouraging students to vote in the election, which, he said, students donât seem to know is occurring at all.
Once a restaurant makes it into the off-campus program, the restaurantâs part in profiting from the partnership is not done there. Restaurant owners who preferred not to be named voice similar struggles to quantify their benefit from the program as did Upton.
âMy wife looks at the numbers sometimes and says, âI donât see [the benefit].â But I do,â Upton said. âI think about 20 percent of the business is OWU students and probably about 50 percent of those use off-campus points. This is the third year weâve been able to take [food points]. The real bump comes from students getting used to coming, sitting down, having a good time even when they donât have the extra cash.
âWe do the max mark-up 42 percent, and thatâs just to cover our costs and give the school its take. Iâm not making 42 percent more money on each sale to students, not by a long shot.â
Overall, representatives of all the restaurants who commented for this story were positive about the program despite any difficulties they found with promotion, the election process or contracts they signed as part of their affiliation with the school.
Another point of frustration, however, was the perception that some long-standing restaurants seem to always be on the list at the detriment of newer establishments.
Also, two years ago students made an effort to help the Delaware Community Market, a non-profit, by voting it into the program. They succeed, but few students visited the establishment, according to Tumeo, who said she believes the Market â a 22-minute walk from campus â was just too far for students when many other options line Sandusky Street near campus.
Upton said the slot used by Community Market could have been given to an establishment that may have better benefited from the program.
Vaqueroâs is another lightning rod for criticism from restaurateurs and students alike. Most troubling, according to multiple sources who didnât want to be named for fear of getting in trouble with OWU administrators, is the practice of letting students purchase alcohol using their food points. The off-campus program does not allow the purchase of alcohol with food points, but Vaqueroâs apparently has garnered a reputation for getting around the rule.
Multiple students recounted the process of making a joint food-drink purchase at Vaqueroâs â including alcohol â and splitting the cost on their meal cards so the cashier submits the alcohol purchase as âmiscellaneous.â Using that terminology makes it easier to get through the schoolâs validation system. The practice was cited as a reason students were more likely to vote for the restaurant despite those same students noting occasions where the food supposedly made them sick. More issues with Vaqueroâs are borne out through their health inspection records.
The interior of Vaqueros. Photo courtesy of pacerinnandsuitesmotel.com.
The owner of Vaqueroâs refused repeated requests for comment.
The restaurant consistently racks up health violations, according to an analysis of public records. During an investigation into five years of health records for all restaurants in the off-campus points program, Vaqueroâs had the largest file â 60 pages. Opaâs Bar and Grill was next with 12 pages of health inspection reports during the same period.
For example, an inspection in February found three critical violations as defined by the Delaware General Health District. All involved keeping ready-made food improperly, such as leaving it near raw food. Hot and cold foods were not kept at proper temperatures. And refrigerated items were not marked to show when they were opened. An issue with cleanliness of food preparation surfaces has been a problem on and off since 2012.
In 2012, the restaurant was investigated for complaints of possible foodborne illness and cited for 11 violations. Over the past five years, the health district also noted employees have a history of failing to demonstrate knowledge about food safety.
The health district inspects restaurants at least twice a year for food safety issues, according to Karey Sanders, food safety sanitarian for the district.
Kim F. Eckart, administrative assistant to Dan Hitchel, OWUâs vice president for finance and administration, said the university weighs input from students about the off-campus points program when making decisions about it.
Brown-Smith is a 2015 graduate of OWU and wrote this story as part of course assignment in May.
After 40 years in the Student Affairs office, Craig Ullom decided to make a change.
âWith over half of that time as a senior Student Affairs officer, I believe it is time in my career to explore other ways I can contribute to the higher education community,â Ullom said.
Ullom believes the Student Affairs team in place is ready for his departure.
âFor me this change is offset by the challenge and excitement of new opportunities and next steps,â Ullom said. âKnowing there is a wonderful Student Affairs team in place makes this decision less difficult as well.â
Though stepping down as vice president, Ullom will maintain a role on campus.
âI will be working on strategic initiatives and projects that impact student persistence and success,â Ullom said.
President Rock Jones said Ullomâs departure will allow Ohio Wesleyan to review the Student Affairs program.
âThis transition gives us the opportunity to consider how the division can best support students and Ohio Wesleyan in the future,â Jones said.
Jones said they will assess other schools as well, then search for a new hire.
âFollowing this review, we will develop a position description for a new leader and launch a national search to identify the individual best suited to serve in this capacity in the future,â Jones said.
Dean of Students Kimberlie Goldsberry was asked by President Jones to serve as the interim vice president of student affairs for the 2015Â2016 academic year.
âDean Goldsberry has provided outstanding leadership in six years at Ohio Wesleyan,â Jones said. âShe is wellÂsuited to serve as interim vice president. We are fortunate to have someone on campus readily available and highly qualified for this interim role.â
Ullom agrees with President Jonesâ decision.
âI am thrilled for Kimberlie,â Ullom said. âShe is a consummate professional who is well-prepared for this position.â
Goldsberry is equally thrilled about the change.
âI am extremely excited to serve OWU and our students in a new capacity,â Goldsberry said. âIt affords me to the opportunity to understand even more about our institution and work more closely with the other members of the Senior Leadership Team.â
Goldsberry said she hopes to achieve institutional goals and collaborate with her colleagues in the Student Affairs for student success.
With Ullom stepping down and Goldsberry transitioning on campus, Kurt C. Holmes will be the new dean of students for the 2015Â2016 academic year.
A new year brings new faces, and this August, Ohio Wesleyan is welcoming more than just freshmen to campus.
Kurt C. Holmes, former Dean of Students for The College of Wooster, will be joining OWU for the 2015-Â2016 academic year.
After Craig Ullom stepped down as vice president of Student Affairs, former Dean of Students Kimberlie Goldsberry was chosen to fill the vacancy. That left her position unfilled.
Holmes saw the job listing and jumped at the chance.
âAfter 14 years with The College of Wooster, I had an opportunity which doesn’t come along very often in administration,â Holmes said. âFaculty have âsabbaticalsâ which allow for a battery recharge, professional development and career growth. You have to be more creative in administrative roles.â
Holmes will have a part time role on campus. âI will typically be on campus three days a week, including some time in residence overnight,â he said.
Holmes will also provide daily service to students and will provide feedback about OWU to the administration, given his unique perspective.
âPresident Rock Jones and Vice President Goldsberry have asked that I serve in some ways as a consultant in residence,â Holmes said. âI bring an experienced, outsiderâs view to campus and can hopefully offer some useful observations.â
Jones echoed this statement. âHe is widely recognized for the quality of his work with students and for his positive impact at Wooster,â Jones said. âWe are fortunate that he is available to work in a part-Âtime role at Ohio Wesleyan this year.â
Though Holmes is not entirely sure what this year will bring, he does have one specific goal to accomplish. âI have a request for the whole student body; I hope to get to meet and interact with as many of you as possible,â Holmes said. âBut with so many new names to learn, please introduce yourself more than once.â
Food and freshmen made their way onto the Wesleyan Council of Student Affairsâ (WCSA) full senate meeting agenda this Aug. 31. Senior Emma Drongowski, vice president of WCSA, began discussing the changes to Ohio Wesleyan’s dining services after a brief greeting. First on one senator’s mind was Trattoria, the late night dining service previously run out of Smith Dining Hall. Drongowski confirmed that it was not renewed for operation. Dean of Students Kimberly Goldsberry explained the principle guiding that and many other dining-related decisions; âthe president is asking us to each take a look at all the different times our food options are open and ask âare we using them effectively?ââ Responding to another senator, Drongowski also informed the assembly that the Library cafe has been removed as an evening food option.
One senator commented that the cafe was the only dining option for students working late in Beeghly Library. “While we have heard that anecdote,â said Drongowski, âpeople in reality just don’t use it. It has the lowest numbers by far.” Executive committee members are continuing talks with the administration in regards to the dining situation. Part of their long-term plan includes redirecting resources to improve the most frequently visited food stops and adding a hot meal option after 8 p.m. With empty seats in the room, WCSA also voted to amend their election bylaws at the Monday meeting. Typically, WCSA senators are elected by general election. âBut the current process will take three or four weeks to fill the [vacant] positions,â said Drongowski. In an attempt to fill these vacancies, Drongowski moved to waive the rules in favor of appointment by application. âWe have an application made up which would be submitted to the executive board,â she said. âWe will make approvals and then the full senate will vote on them.â These applications will be aimed specifically at the class of 2019. Currently, no members of the freshman class are represented in the senate. The motion was passed with only one senator abstaining. It is a one-time measure, meaning future appointments will follow the usual process. Applications for the position will be distributed at the Sept. 2 club fair, through the OWU Daily, and over social media. They are due Wednesday, Sept. 9.
When students start craving a late night pizza or sub, there wonât be anyone to call. Trattoria, the delivery food service previously operated out of Smith Dining Hall, is no longer catering to nighttime snackers.
Trattoria was open every night of the week until midnight. The service allowed students to use meal points to order food for delivery to their rooms.
Jeff Eden, class of 2011, said, âTrattoria was not renewed for a few reasons, both monetary and with regard to the actual operation.â
Eden began working as a cashier during his freshman year and continued through the next three years of college. Following graduation, he had the opportunity to take over the full operation of Trattoria.
âTrattoria wasn’t exactly the most profitable of the campus eateries and it was a university-led decision wherein money could be saved without making much of an impact on the campus at large,â Eden said. âAs far as the operation itself was concerned, many were upset with the inconsistencies of our delivery service. Student interest in delivery participation has dwindled quite a bit over the years and many times we struggled to find willing teams.â
Gene Castelli, resident district manager for Chartwells said, âWe were operating 10 separate [dining] locations, and for a campus of our size, that is not the norm. The decision to close a particular service was a long and thoughtful process. As part of this process, the savings generated will be refocused back into the dining program to improve service to students.â
Sophomore Hope Walls said, âI wasnât happy when I heard Trattoria wasnât going to be on campus this semester. It was always nice to be able to have food delivered right to your door and get to use your food points.â
âI am confident there will be continued discussion on this subject in the following weeks and look forward to interaction with students to ensure the program reflects what the students want and need in the best service model possible,â Castelli said.
Dog bites send children and adults to hospitals, dogs to quarantine for rabies testing and insurance claims up. With warm weather and more activities outdoors to keep people busy, the chance of animal bites increases. Ohioans, however, are more likely to get rabies from bats and raccoons than they are from dogs and cats.
âWe tend to be complacent about rabies,â said Don R. Mann, a veterinarian in Galena whoâs been in business for more than 30 years, âbecause we donât see it much in Ohio and as nearby as Pennsylvania itâs endemic. If youâre a veterinarian in Pennsylvania, you have to worry about rabies every day.â
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 4.5 million Americans â half of them children â are bitten by dogs, annually. The CDC reports, however, that more than 90 percent of reported animal rabies cases occur in wildlife. Before 1960, the majority of cases came from domestic animals.
The top six states in 2010, the latest CDC data available, for rabies cases in domestic animals were Pennsylvania (72), New York (51), Texas (49), Virginia (44), Georgia (26) and North Carolina (25). Those states account for more than half of all cases nationwide. A CDC map shows a high prevalence of rabies cases along the East Coast, stopping along the eastern borders of Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee.
Rabies is a virus that affects both domestic and wild animals and is spread through body fluids such as saliva. Dogs and cats usually expose humans to the virus through bites or scratches where saliva can enter the body. Rabies is highly contagious and, if left untreated, is fatal.
From 2012-2014, Delaware County had four confirmed rabies cases, all from bats, according to annual reports by the Ohio Department of Health. In fact, of 25 total rabies cases statewide in 2014, 20 were linked to bats, four to raccoons and one to a skunk.
The two variants of rabies are the paralytic or âdumbâ form, which is most common, and the second is the âfuriousâ form.
Mann said Hollywood representations of rabies, like in the 1957 classic movie âOld Yeller,â do not accurately reflect the disease. Most dogs, he said, develop the dumb form, which causes the animal to go into a depressive and non-responsive state. However, the danger lies in a dog with the dumb form of rabies to âdevelop the furious form at any time, any minute,â said Mann.
Mann is one of several veterinarians who are contracted by the Delaware Health District to prepare animals, such as dogs, cats, bats, raccoons and skunks, for rabies testing. The process involves an animal being euthanized and its head removed so brain tissue can be tested.
âItâs not a pleasant thing, but itâs something that has to be done,â Mann said. âNot too many people want to get involved in that.â
Ohio law does not require dogs or cats to be vaccinated unless they have bitten someone and no proof of a rabies vaccination is available, but it does allow local health departments require the vaccination. The Delaware General Health District does after a dog or cat reaches the age of three months. A booster shot is required annually.
If a dog bites a person and the dog has been vaccinated, state law requires the animal to be quarantined for a minimum of 10 days. However, if an unvaccinated animal bites a person, then the chain of events that follows is less simple.
âIf your dog bites someone and itâs not vaccinated, then the possibility for rabies goes up dramatically,â Mann said. âThen the dog either has to be sacrificed or you have to quarantine it for six months at your cost, which can be substantial.â
The costs and insurance liabilities of owning a dog that has bitten a human is in part why John King, Delaware Countyâs dog warden, receives some dogs given up voluntarily by their owners.
âSometimes people, once their dog bit someone, theyâll want to give the dog up and say, âHey, I canât take a chance,ââ King said. âWe wonât quarantine the dog for 10 days because we canât adopt it anyways, so we euthanize the dog and have it tested by a local veterinarian.â
Dog bites accounted for more than one-third of homeownersâ liability insurance payouts in 2014, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Ohio had 1,009 claims with an average of $21,983 per claim, according to institute data, which is collected from the nationâs top 10 homeownersâ insurance companies.
Humans may not react to a rabies-infected bite for weeks or even months, according to the CDC. Rabies can cause pain, fatigue, headaches, fever and irritability. Those can be followed by seizures, hallucinations and paralysis. Human rabies is almost always fatal.
A vaccination exists for humans, but it is expensive. Mann suggested people at high risk for exposure should get vaccinated. Those include animal handlers, veterinarians, spelunkers, hikers, hunters and international travelers, especially when going to a country where rabies is common.
King and his two assistant dog wardens, Dan James and Mark Strohl, are certified to euthanize dogs. They respond to calls throughout Delaware County based on dividing the area into four quadrants using the east-west State Route 36/37 and the north-south U.S. Route 42. Heavily populated southwest Delaware County, Quadrant 3, has the greatest number of dog bites, according to an analysis of public records.
Health district reports say the average number of dog bites per year is 180 in the county.
County public records from 2012 to 2014 showed victims suffered injuries, including bites to the upper and lower body, fingers, toes and face. Treatment ranged from on site, at home, urgent care or a hospital visit. There is no record in the past three years of a human fatality due to a dog bite.
Public records do not show a correlation between bites and a specific dog breed, but they do show people 21 years old and younger are more likely to be bitten by a dog.
To guard against getting rabies and getting bitten, both King and Mann suggested owners have their pets vaccinated; people be familiar with the pets in their area; approach animals cautiously, and keep pets under control.
East Central Avenue in Delaware. Photo courtesy of Google Maps.
Anyone who travels on East Central Avenue in Delaware knows they are in for a bumpy ride. And itâs not going to get smoother any time soon.
City officials know East Central, three blocks north of Ohio Wesleyan University, is a patched mess. The problem, officials said, is where to put the limited money the city has for road projects. Thereâs money to get potholes patched and cracks sealed, but not nearly enough to provide a long-term fix.
Of the miles of streets in Delaware, the stretch of Central from North Union Street east to where Central joins East Williams Street at âThe Pointâ is striking for its sustained damage.
Documents from the cityâs public works department show basic surface repair and maintenance measures have been made, typically filling potholes.
âCentral Avenue, with the volume of traffic that it serves, is an area that is constantly monitored for deterioration and the need for repairs,â said city attorney Darren Shulman. âWhen areas of distress are identified, staff performs repairs to the surface and base courses as deemed necessary.â
The last work order completed by public works employees for East Central â an inspection of an earlier cold patch of a pothole â was on Jan. 15, 2013. The pothole, in the westbound lane of Central near Hammond Street, was patched after a motorist reported blowing a tire because of it.
The city measures the conditions of its roads using a Pavement Condition Index (PCI). The PCI measures pavement condition on a scale of 0 to 100 with 100 representing ânew or resurfaced pavement,â Shulman said. By 2013, the most recent available PCI inspection showed a decline in East Centralâs pavement condition from 100 to an 86.
According to city records, East Central in 2010 was given the highest inspection rating because the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), as part of its Urban Resurfacing Program, resurfaced it that year. The cityâs participation in the program was limited to partial funding â about $44,000.
âThe roads are horrible,â said Hugh Kerins of Delaware and a frequent traveler on Central, âbecause when the city repairs them, they try to just repair a little spot instead of just redoing an entire section of the road, which after two to five years ends up in the same exact state as previously.â
Kerins said he believes money is available to better maintain the roadways, but said how it is allocated has affected infrastructure in Delaware. He said the city needs help in the form of state and federal aid to stop the crumbling of its road system.
âTake a section every year to work on instead of putting all the money onto the main highways,â Kerins said.
City officials are aware of the problem and grief East Central is causing local residents who live along it and commuters who use it. But officials cite two constraints to solve it: time and money.
âBetween Union [Street] and the Point, the reason why that road is not as good as others is because itâs an old road bed dating back 100 years,â said Lee Yoakum, the cityâs community affairs coordinator. âIf you drive on it, youâll notice there are no storm water drains nor proper guttering that you may see in other parts of the city.
âWhatâs happening is groundwater, instead of being drained away, is allowed to filter down into the road base, causing all sorts of issues with moisture and erosion. The end result is that it affects the driving surface.â
A major overhaul would cost tens of millions of dollars and force the city to close that section for months, Yoakum said. Itâs money the city doesnât have. The time needed to do a thorough rebuilding restricts options for rerouting traffic. Repair money cannot be allocated to one project when other streets throughout the city need help.
Officials from across the country earlier this month made a week-long pitch for long-term investment in infrastructure projects. Vice President Joe Biden said on May 11, according to Bloomberg News, investing in the nationâs highways and bridges is a national security issue. Biden said the federal government spends less than 1 percent of the nationâs gross domestic product on infrastructure, which is down from about 4 percent.
âThere is absolutely no rationale, no reasonable argument against the need for these investments,â Biden said at a Bloomberg-sponsored event in Washington.
The American Civil Society of Engineers (ACSE), which grades public infrastructure systems on a state-by-state and national basis, said on its website (http://www.infrastructurereportcard.org) that about $3.6 trillion is needed by 2020.
ASCE logo. Photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org.
It gave Ohio an overall grade of C- (or mediocre) in 2013, the latest rating available. The ranking also looks at rail, education, dams, parks, wastewater facilities, aviation and energy.
The stateâs location as a transit point between the rest of the Midwest and the East Coast is a selling point for state officials when they recruit businesses and industries to locate in Ohio. Ohioâs road network stretches more than 125,000 miles. Ohioâs road network is so large, the ACSE said, itâs about 3.1 percent of the total length of public roads in the United States. The organization said 43 percent of Ohioâs roads are in critical, poor or fair condition.
Delawareâs city engineer and public works director, Bill Ferrgino, said an overhaul of East Central would require a massive deconstruction of the current road. It would include: rerouting of any number of cable, telephone, plumbing, and fiber optic lines that lie underneath the street, a comprehensive installation of a drainage system to keep water from staying in the road bed, and widening of the road itself to accommodate the new levels of traffic it maintains on a daily basis.
âWeâre limited on where we can detour traffic,â Yoakum said. âBecause Central Avenue is a state route, there are requirements ODOT has as far as street closure and how traffic is detoured. We would not be able to send semis down a side-street and would need to move them to larger routes.â
Ferrigno echoed Yoakumâs comments, but added the city needs federal grant money to aid in an overhaul project. Without federal money, the city can only provide the same road maintenance services it is providing now.
âThe city understands the problems facing our infrastructure right now,â Ferrigno said, âand is trying to allocate what we have budgeted to the areas determined to need it the most based off amount of traffic and other factors.â
Major arteries, such as U.S. Route 23 and State Route 37, occupy higher spots on the priority list, Ferrigno said.
Much of the Central Avenue traffic comes from semi-tractor trailers bypassing the frequent stops, greater congestion and traffic lights along Route 23 before moving over to U.S. Route 42. Overweight trucks, as well as tough winter weather conditions, contribute to a growing infrastructure problem in the city.
Based on cityâs predictions, 54 percent of the cityâs roads will be rated from âPoor to Fairâ and âFailed to Very Poorâ by 2030. Â By comparison, in 2009 the physical condition of 43 percent of Ohioâs roads was listed as âFairâ or below, according the ACSC.
The cityâ predictions assume no more miles of roads will be added and funding remains the same. But those are dangerous assumptions.
Pulling out a city map, Ferrigno pointed out that from 1995 to 2012, the city added 100 miles of roads. And the number is expected to grow as Delaware County continues to rank as one of the fastest-growing counties in both the state and the country.
According to the cityâs operating budget over a five-year period, the public works department began 2009 with $240,000 and of that amount about $26,160 was devoted to berm and asphalt-sealant material. By 2011, the budget was reduced to around $216,000 with $24,000 devoted to the same materials. The current city budget allocation for street maintenance is $334,100, of which $216,300 is devoted to concrete, asphalt and berm materials.
When the moderators and members of the Modern Foreign Language House (MFL) and the Sexuality and Gender Equality House (SAGE) received the email late last Monday that their buildings would be safe next year, the resounding response was one of relief. Residents of both houses now did not need to worry about finding housing for the 2015-2016 school year.
Instead of razing both structures this summer, the decision was made to leave them standing. There will still be construction on a new structure starting this summer. According to University President Rock Jones, deciding to keep MFL and SAGE this year was because of a combination of reasons. It was a response to the concern of current students, it was disruptive to students who would have to find housing and it made more sense to build one building instead of two at the time.
Junior Alanna Spalsbury, the current and future moderator of MFL said that they decided âas a house on where we would be comfortable living if MFL was torn down, but that was never even solidified.â
Senior Meredith Harrison, the current moderator of SAGE said, âIdeally, if the current SAGE house was torn down, the community would love to be placed in an off-campus houseâŠThe next ideal option if SAGE would not be able to live in a house would be to live in a residential hall that provides shared community spacesâŠIt would help the members and moderator build community more naturally.â
Wendy Piper, assistant dean of student affairs and the director of residential life, said she, Craig Ullom, vice president of student affairs and Levi Harrel, a ResLife coordinator, had discussed alternatives with the members of the SLUs. Some of the options discussed were ârenting a house not owned by the university, occupying a fraternity house or being clustered together on a residence hall floor,â Piper said.
âWe are planning to begin construction later this summer for two new SLUs on the site of the existing House of Thought. We eventually want to develop the rest of the Rowland Avenue site with a total of eight new SLUs.â
Both SLUs stayed in contact with each other during this time.
âAlanna and I have had pretty open communication through this while process,â Harrison said. âI think the scare of having our communities put back into residential halls next year really brought our two communities together. The other houses also had our backs and wanted to help us in any way they could. I think in some ways, it brought the entire SLU community together.â
However, communication between SLU members and ResLife was not as strong.
Junior Nancy Ransom, a member of MFL, said, âThe communication between residential life and us was very fragmentedâŠWe were under the impression that a donor was prepared to donate a large sum to the school, but upon meeting with Residential Life, a bunch of hypothetical situations were introduced, although measurements around our houses have been taken.â
Sophomore Lissette Gonzalez, the future moderator of SAGE, said, âI believe that Residential Life really tries to be as transparent as they can be, however, I believe that communication could definitely be improved.â
Upon reacting to the news that her house would be saved, Ransom said, âMy first reaction was to drop my jaw, as this process has caused me a lot of stress and anxiety, but on deeper reflection, I worried there would be no way of holding Residential Life accountable if they went back on their word, as this was all done over email. I do not think this will be the case, or I hope this will not be the case.â
Gonzalez said she cried when she heard the news. âI love this house and I cannot wait to be the moderator next semester.â
With the school year winding down, many Ohio Wesleyan students are looking for summer internships.
In August of 2014, OWU career services received The Great Lakes Career Ready Internship Grant for summer internships of $133,333 from the Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation. This grant was used to help students with financial needs.
âWeâre excited and appreciative for this grant and the potential it creates for our students,â said Director of Career Services Leslie J. Melton in a press release when the grant was announced.
Now that money is available to more students looking to gain experience over the break. This is in large part thanks to the additional donations of two OWU alumni.
âUp until mid-March we were really limited in the number of students who could benefit from the dollars,â said internship coordinator Jill Walters. âWe were able to change that a little bit so that the money could be available to more students.â
Walters said that this has recently created a buzz about internships.
âNow weâve been sending all kinds of emails and trying to get folks interested because the group of eligible students is a lot larger,â Walters said.
The number of quality applications turned in by students seeking internships has grown since then according to Walters.
Even students who have already accepted unpaid internships can seek help from career services to change it to a paid one.
âWe were able to reach out to those employers and say âhey there would you be interested in partnering, the student is eligible for grant dollars, we would love to pay their salary while their participating in an unpaid internship with you,ââ Walters explained.
This was another thing career services were unable to initially do when the grant money was first received.
Internships made available by career services range from locations in Ohio, all the way to Texas, with many others in between. Students can work in fields that include: music, journalism, zoology, psychology, politics and government, business and fitness.
âItâs a really nice mix, something that was really important to our office,â Walters said.
