News – Page 61 – The Transcript

Career Services teams up with student volunteers

A past OWU CareerFest in the Benes Rooms. Photo courtesy of Facebook. — A past OWU CareerFest in the Benes Rooms.
Photo courtesy of Facebook.

Career Services wants to enhance job preparation for Ohio Wesleyan students. The career development team is meant to do just that.

“The career development team is an initiative to increase student access to the office’s services and resources via highly trained career associates,” said career development team advisor Alison Himes.

“The career development team is designed to help student volunteers to develop their skills in communication and planning; specific responsibilities will be based on interest, such as event planning, giving presentations, and working with students during one-on-one advising,” she said.

Himes said the career development team is “An initiative that the whole office wanted to get started, so I took the lead on the planning. I looked at other institutions relative to OWU to see if they had teams like this and did a lot of research to plan exactly what we wanted our team to look like.”

The one-on-one peer advising offers resume critiques, cover letter critiques, interview etiquette critiques, job and internship searching assistance, sharing networking advice and much more.

A CareerFest from last year in the Benes Rooms. Photo courtesy of the career services webpage.

According to sophomore Brenda Gonzalez Santillano, “If students are looking for quick advice they can come in during our drop-in hours or they can make an appointment to meet one on one with a staff member to discuss interview tips, resume dos and don’ts etc. We have a room where we will conduct mock interviews and film it to help provide students with the best feedback possible.”

The career development team is currently working to get students to register for the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges CareerFest, which is being held on Feb. 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Aladdin Shrine Center in Columbus. According to Santillano, the career festival “is a great networking opportunity for students looking for jobs or potential internships with employers.”

Senior Allison Smith said she has visited Career Services. “As a graduating senior, I am stressed about finding a job,” Smith said. “The career development team gave me informative and useful advice for the upcoming CareerFest.”

Other programs the career development team has advertised and promoted are The Summer on the Cuyahoga and The Great Lakes Career Ready Scholarship.

Survey on sexual assault sent to students

OWU logo courtesy of owu.edu.

On Jan. 19, President Rock Jones emailed Ohio Wesleyan students asking them to complete a survey on sexual assault, which included questions about how safe students feel on campus and their confidence in school officials.

According to the email, the survey is anonymous and takes about 15 minutes to complete.

The results will be used to inform and improve campus policies, practices and support services.

It also stated the reason for the survey was to gather information about “students’ perceptions of OWU’s climate on unwanted sexual contact and sexual assault, students’ perceptions of how OWU addresses and responds to sexual assault, and whether and how often students have experienced unwanted sexual contact or sexual assault.”

Jones said the administration is “deeply committed” to providing a safe campus for everyone and has a zero-tolerance policy for sexual misconduct.

“We believe this information will help us understand where there may be need for better education and processes and procedures used in response to sexual misconduct,” Jones said.

Dean of Students Kimberlie Goldsberry said a team met over the summer to discuss the many federal guidelines and agencies that share information about sexual assault. A “key initiative” from that team was a campus climate survey, which a subgroup then began to work on.

In the fall, the team discovered that the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium was working on a similar survey designed for small, residential, liberal arts colleges, so the team shared their information and a final survey was created.

“OWU was a given a window of time to offer the survey,” Goldsberry said. “We chose to do it now hoping that it being earlier in the semester might yield greater responsiveness from the community.”

She said everyone on campus has a role in addressing sexual violence issues. Some of the faculty and staff’s responsibilities include being familiar with OWU’s policies and what it means to report issues of sexual violence.

Goldsberry said students also need to do their part with education, intervention and accountability.

Senior Lauren Rump, an intern in the Women’s Resource Center, said when she received the email about the survey on sexual assault she was “surprised and impressed” that it came from Rock Jones.

When administrators don’t take these issues into their own hands, the responsibility for educational programming “falls on the shoulders of students,” Rump said.

She gave an example from last semester. The Women’s Resource Center was compelled to host a panel discussion about Title IX and its impact on campus because they had so many unanswered questions and thought other students would too.

“I definitely hope more education and stronger campaigns for consent will come out of this,” Rump said.

Rump added that the survey “shows initiative” and she hopes everyone takes it.

“It’s important that they hear from all types of people, but especially those who have had to go through that (sexual assault).”

The email will be sent to students two more times before the March 2 deadline.

New housing means fewer options

When Phi Delta Gamma (Fiji) takes back their house next semester, juniors and seniors will be left with fewer housing options than in the past.

There are 32 rooms in 35 Williams Drive, one of the junior/senior living options, according to Levi Harrell, Residential Life Coordinator (RLC) at Ohio Wesleyan. There are approximately 390 students in the incoming senior class, according to Dale Swartzentruber, of institutional research at OWU.

Jill Auxter, another RLC at OWU, said 35 Williams has mostly single rooms, with only two or three double rooms.

“By senior year, most students don’t seem to care where they live, so much as they get a single room,” Auxter said.

Wendy Piper, director of residential life, said aside from fraternity houses and small living units (SLUs), seniors can apply to live in any residential hall on campus.

“Students can choose from Stuyvesant Hall, Smith Hall, Hayes Hall (which is female only), Austin Manor, as well as Welch, Thomson, and Bashford halls,” Piper said.

Rising juniors and seniors will still be able to apply to live in 4 Williams Drive.

“Both rising juniors and seniors can apply to live in both 4 and 23 (Bigelow-Reed House) Williams Drive, however priority will be given to seniors,” Harrell said.

Auxter said there are 31 rooms, mostly all single, in 4 Williams.

One misconception about Bashford and Thomson is that only first year students can live there.

“Any student can apply to have a single room in Bashford or Thomson,” said Auxter. “It’s the same application process as it is to live in Stuyvesant Hall, Smith or Welch.”

Auxter said there are 12 single rooms available in Thomson and Bashford halls.

“The housing process will be exactly the same this year,” said Auxter. “Rising seniors will come to the senior housing night, where they will line up and select a room from the floor plan.”

Senior housing night will be on March 19 at 7 p.m. in Stuyvesant Hall.

“We are expecting (35 Williams) to be completely filled once Fiji moves back into their house next semester,” Auxter said.

After Fiji lost their house in 2008, Auxter said it was renovated and reopened in the fall of 2010.

“32 students will be missing out on one of their potential first choices for housing, however, we’re hoping they’ll be understanding,” Auxter said.

Kenyon students make more, OWU students pay less

While Kenyon College graduates may end up making more money in their first five years than graduates from Ohio Wesleyan University, OWU alumnis won’t have to pay as much for their degrees.

According to a recent article published by Money Magazine, Kenyon graduates will earn an average of $44,400 within their first five years in the workforce. Graduates from OWU, within five years of entering the workforce, will earn an average of $38,900.

Susan Dileno, vice president for enrollment at OWU, said it’s all about how you compare the demographics of a student body.

“When you look at students who go to Harvard, you’re typically going to find more wealthier students,” Dileno said. “OWU, Denison, Wooster and Kenyon all attract similar types of students. It’s all about comparing schools with similar student bodies.”

Dileno said Money Magazine based their decision off three factors: graduation rate, percentage of graduates who are employed and affordability.

Despite the $41,920 “sticker price,” as Dileno put it, 97 percent of students currently receive financial aid to help pay for OWU. This was another factor which Money Magazine included in making their decision.

According to Money Magazine, the net cost of an Ohio Wesleyan degree is $143,848. However, it will only cost 3 percent of OWU students that amount to attain their degree; the rest of the student body receives financial aid.

At Kenyon College, however, the net cost of a degree is almost $50,000 more than a degree from OWU. And at Kenyon, only 50 percent of students receive financial aid.

Another factor which Money Magazine used in making their decision was the percentage of OWU alumni who are currently employed.

Rock Jones, president of OWU, said 97 percent of the class of 2014 reported to being employed or pursuing graduate degrees.

The final aspect Money Magazine took into consideration was the average mid-career income for OWU graduates.

Jones said the company PayScale, Inc. collected data which showed average mid-career salaries for alumni.

How to improve our ranking

The Transcript asked university administrators what they were doing to improve the school’s ranking.

Cole Hatcher, director of communications and media relations, said the primary thing the university can do to improve its ranking is to increase student scholarship funds.

Not only does this make OWU more appealing to prospective students, but it would increase the number of students who might not otherwise be able to attend OWU.

“Until they get like bigger endowments or more students who can pay the full freight, it’s going to continue to get harder,” Dileno said.

Woltemade Center appoints alum to new position

Ohio Wesleyan alumna Megan (Sanders) Ellis (‘05) took on the new role as administrative director for the Woltemade Center in response to the continued growth of the economics department.

Over 100 applications were received for the position. Alice Simon, faculty director of the Woltemade Center, said that Ellis’ application “rose to the top.”

“She had the best set of credentials and most impressive impact on the committee,” Simon said.

The creation of an administrative director position had been discussed for a few years. The alumni advisory board for the Woltemade Center, along with the economics department and OWU administration representation agreed that because the Woltemade Center has grown a considerable amount since beginning in 1985 it was time to take the Center to “the next level” for the enhancement of our students.

“Discussions centered on maintaining a liberal arts approach to economics, business, entrepreneurship and leadership while increasing the Center’s visibility locally and nationally,” Simon said. “Working together with business leaders, alumni, the OWU administration and faculty, it is hoped that this new position will allow expansion of resources and programs that all students at OWU can benefit from.”.

Simon said that the work necessary was more than any of the faculty could realistically be responsible for.

The position calls for an “overarching organizer” who can assist faculty in executing new programs. Ellis said she will strive to “bring events to campus such as alumni presentations and increase the awareness of these events.”

Ellis also stressed her desire to engage other departments in Woltemade events and putting “Theory into Practice” ideas into action. Ellis also said that she will strive to raise awareness of the Woltemade Center for prospective students, working to increase recruitment. Finally, she will help students find internships and become integrated into careers after graduation.

The administrative director position is a two-year pilot position. The position is currently being funded by the Woltemade Center’s alumni advisory board.

“The continuation of the position is dependent upon endowing the position as well as endowing student programs and other opportunities,” Simon said. “It is in our hopes that Ellis’ success will yield programs, students and funds across the campus.”

Ellis received a degree in economics management with a management concentration and a minor in psychology. Shortly after, she worked for a running company that is currently known as M3S Sports in Columbus.

During her time as a student, Ellis worked at the front desk in the economics department, tutored in the department and participated in the Philadelphia Center program. After graduating, Ellis said she “stayed in touch with the economics department whenever possible.”

She also explained that this position is bringing all of her “experiences together with a whole new set of challenges.”

Sophomore Economics Fellow student Kellie Garvin is excited for this position.

“It will be perfect to help make new connections and by students having connections, it will make the department that much better,” Garvin said.

Moot Court robbed in Miami

The Ohio Wesleyan Moot Court teams did not expect great success at nationals, and they certainly did not expect to get robbed on their last day of travel.

OWU sent two teams to the national Moot Court competition in Miami, Fla. The first team consisted of seniors Jordan Bernstein and Lidia Mowad. Juniors Rhiannon Herbert and Katherine Berger made up the second team. Each pair went far in the competition, and according to Mowad and Berger, they were surprised at their success.

“No, I did not expect it,” said Mowad. “But the best part was that the founder of the Moot Court Association of America judged us and gave us the winning ballot. So really, how much better can we do?”

On the last day of their trip, both teams went on an airboat tour.

The boat went through “the Florida Everglades looking at alligators,” said Herbert.
“We left everything in the car because we did not want to bring any valuables on the boat.”

When the group arrived back at the car, two purses, a backpack and a briefcase were missing. All of the luggage for their flight was still in the car.

“When I noticed what was taken from the car it was just a moment of sheer panic,” said Berger. “I just thought ‘there is no way,’ I’ve heard about this happening to people, but I never expected it would ever happen to me.”

In many of the stolen bags were wallets with credit cards and IDs. This made boarding the return flight difficult. But after going through a Transportation Security Administration background check, they were able to fly home.

“I kissed the ground in Ohio when I got off the plane,” said Berger.

Everyone that lost property in the robbery had cancelled credit cards. Some even wiped their cell phones remotely with software. As for the rest of their personal property, they are responsible for its replacement.

Public Safety hunts for break-in bandit

smith tv missing 2 — Wall in Smith Dining Hall where a television used to hang.

On Oct. 24, 2014, the Thomson Corner Store was broken into and $100 was stolen from the cash register. The intruder gained entrance to the store by smashing one of the door’s windows. This mode of entry is consistent with many break-ins that would take place in the months to follow.

On Dec. 2, a window in the Smith Dining Hall was smashed, although nothing was taken. The Hamilton-Williams Campus Center was broken into on Dec. 13. This time the intruder entered by breaking a door. Initially, nothing was found to be damaged or missing.

“On Dec. 14, it was discovered that a TV had been taken from The Marketplace,” Richard Morman, an investigator for Public Safety, said. Morman believes the stolen TV was not discovered until the following day because The Marketplace was far from where the intruder had entered.

On Dec. 23, the Thompson Corner Store was broken into again. This time the intruder made away with an envelope of $50.

The following day, Smith Dining Hall was burglarized yet again. The same window that was smashed during the earlier break-in was destroyed with a brick. A television valued at $500 was stolen.

Three days later, on Dec. 27, an intruder gained entrance to Welch Residence Hall through an open window. According to Robert Wood, director of PS, the window was in the Welch kitchen. There PS officers “found a safe that was broken into, however was empty.”

On Jan. 9 Smith Dining Hall was burglarized for the third time. Another television was stolen, bringing the count of stolen televisions to 3. According to Morman, “Chartwells is currently in the process of replacing them.”

PS officers and investigators are working diligently to figure out who is responsible for the break-ins. Wood said they “have persons of interest” who they believe are connected to the case.

“There is no indication of these persons of interests to be OWU students because students were on their winter break during the time of the break-ins,” Wood said.

“During this time, Public Safety struggled with the decision of whether or not to send out a Public Safety alert to Ohio Wesleyan students,” Morman said. He elaborated that it is the responsibility of PS to not only keep students safe, but to avoid unnecessary panic.

“The breaks-ins on campus are extremely concerning, however, I am confident that Public Safety will soon find the people doing this,” senior Ali Smith said.

PS does not believe these incidents to be indicators of great danger. Regardless, Morman advises students to “go by your instincts; if you see something suspicious, report it.” Wood said to take precaution and “never let anyone into the buildings on campus.”

International enrollment, class times taken into account with faculty

A new initiative to focus on international student enrollment was introduced at Monday’s faculty meeting.

President Rock Jones and Susan Dileno, vice president for enrollment, informed faculty about a partnership with EC English Language Centres, which would house international students on Ohio Wesleyan University’s campus while they completed an English as a second language program.

“Partnerships are powerful ways to increase enrollment,” Dileno said.

The program is meant to attract international students who were initially denied admission to the university based on their English skills. Through this program, students would be conditionally accepted to OWU and then fully enrolled once a predetermined ability level is met.

Students in the program would pay tuition to EC, but would pay room and board to OWU. In addition, EC would pay the university for the use of teaching space on campus.

Essentially, the students would be integrated into campus life at OWU, but not enrolled in university classes until their individual goals are reached in the program.

There is no guarantee that these students will attend OWU after completing the program, but the partnership will provide revenue for the university.

EC offers their own centers, independent of colleges and universities, across the world. There are only two other universities that have centers on their campuses: The State University of New York at Oswego and at State University of New York at Fredonia.

Class Changes

Faculty also approved a motion presented by the Academic Policy Committee to change class schedule times, allowing a second class time to be offered Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.

Currently, the only time slot available these afternoons is from 1:10-3:00 p.m. With the new policy, classes will be offered from 1:10-2:30 p.m. and 2:40-4:00 p.m.

Further discussion will take into account labs, studio courses and seminars that might have originally used the original time block.

The motion also added a time slot Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 2:10-4:00 p.m. Furthermore, evening classes will begin at 6:30 p.m. everyday instead of 7 p.m.

Eber sentenced to six years

By: Editor-in-Chief Emily Feldmesser and Managing Editor Adelle Brodbeck

Held in the arms of his 19-year-old brother, Nicholas Eber entered the Delaware County Court House Monday morning to be sentenced for the stabbing of Anthony Peddle (‘14).

On Dec. 12, 2014 Eber was found guilty on counts of attempted murder, felonious assault and aggravated burglary for events that took place at the Chi Phi fraternity house in May. On Monday, Jan. 26, 2015 the charge of felonious assault was dropped.

Judge Everett H. Krueger sentenced Eber to six years for attempted murder, and three for aggravated burglary, both to be served concurrently. This means he will serve both sentences at once, spending a total of six years in prison. Upon release from prison, he will serve probation for five years. Eber must pay restitution to cover the remaining cost of Peddle’s medical bills.

Krueger emphasized the importance of the court’s objective enforcement of the law. He declined to consider the weight of Eber’s petition of innocence, compiled by his mother Christine.

The families and friends of both victim and defendant were present during the sentencing. Melissa Peddle, the victim’s mother, told the courtroom of her and her husband’s hardships since the stabbing last spring.

“We are both disabled veterans,” she said. “We suffer from severe depression and PTSD.”

She continued to comment on the fact that Eber’s attack on her son has, and will, continue to affect her family’s livelihood forever.

During his mother’s speech, Anthony Peddle could be seen wiping tears away from his eyes.

“Shouldn’t Mr. Eber’s sentencing be as long as Anthony’s?” Mrs. Peddle said.

Anthony Peddle told the court how his mental state has been altered by Eber’s actions. Peddle said he is unable to be alone and has trouble sleeping through the night.

“I still have a sledgehammer and screwdriver under my pillow,” he said. Before Eber addressed the judge, his attorney Joel Spitzer made his last remarks.

“For the most part he was a law-abiding citizen,” Spitzer said of his client. “If Nick wanted to ‘finish the job’ so to speak, he had the opportunity.”

In a brief statement, Eber attempted to convey his remorse. “I have been trying to live my life the way I’m supposed to,” Eber said. ”Go to school, get a job, start a family. I did everything I was supposed to do, and this still happened.”

Three members of Eber’s family spoke, including his father and younger brother. His father, Patrick Eber, said, “Nick has always been one of the most responsible people I know…I just ask for mercy.”

His brother John spoke of their relationship and how Nicholas Eber taught him to face high school bullies without using violence.

After Krueger handed down the sentence, Eber declared he would go through with the appeal process and requested an attorney.

As Eber was escorted out of the courtroom, he asked a deputy if he could say goodbye to his mother. Upon the deputy’s rejection, Mrs. Eber began to sob, and whispered to her son, “Stay strong, I love you.”

Even after the sentencing, she continued to proclaim Eber’s innocence.

Visiting lecturer says happiness should be first priority

Even though incomes in the United States have nearly tripled since World War II, Americans are not much happier, according to a college professor who studies happiness.

“We as policymakers need to look at how policies affect citizens’ quality of life,” said Daniel Haybron, an associate professor of philosophy at St. Louis University.

Haybron came to campus Jan. 20 to share his views about the morality of happiness and public policy. He describes his work as at the intersection of value theory and psychology.

According to Haybron, a number of nations including Bhutan, UK, France and, most recently, Germany are making happiness a major policy goal. Instead of focusing on gross domestic product, these nations now emphasize gross domestic happiness.

While focusing on the assertion happiness should be taken into account in policy, Haybron also made it clear happiness should not be the only or most important thing. At a minimum, society should use its resources to help the sick, disabled, marginalized and poor. He described this as the belief we should all take care of each other because we are our brother’s keeper.

Haybron primarily discussed the moral objections of adopting a happiness policy, and evaluated those objections from a philosophical perspective. While individuals are not owed assistance or increased happiness, he said, people should feel a duty to be good citizens. This would help create a better society and increase overall happiness.

“I thought it was an interesting topic, though I was hoping he’d get down to the nitty-gritty of how he collects data and what it has proven internationally,” sophomore Rachel Morley said.

Beyond just the realm of public policy and societal happiness, Haybron touched on individual happiness.

“If you want to be happy, don’t be just going after happiness all the time,” Haybron said. “Instead do things that are worthwhile.”

The presentation was sponsored by the Arneson Institute for Practical Politics and Public Affairs and was the first of its events this semester.

For institute director Sean Kay, Haybron’s visit held sentimental importance as well; the two graduated from high school together.

“I’ve watched him within the past few years especially take off as a national philosophy rising star, so I was well aware of what he was doing,” Kay said. “And with the university I’m trying very consciously to look at and show public policy through different frameworks of thinking.”

The next institute-sponsored event, “Unstable Majorities, Polarization and the Contemporary American Electorate” will feature Stanford University professor Morris Fiorina and take place on Mar. 25.