Category: News

The sounds of walls being smashed echoed from the Phi Kappa Psi house last week.

The brothers of Phi Psi demolished part of their basement last Wednesday, and continued the Do-it-themselves-renovation project through Sunday. They took down old paneling in the basement common room; in addition they took down plaster and a dividing wall in another common room on the second floor.

“It only took us about five days to complete demolition and all the brothers participated in helping,” said junior Nate Goodhart, the vice president of the fraternity. “We felt that if brothers of our house were the ones to tear down and do the demolition, there would be a renewed sense of pride in our house because we are the ones putting the hard work in, no one else”

The university was aware of all construction going on and was monitoring the demolition closely.

“The university knew that the walls were coming down and provided a 20 foot dumpster for us to get rid of the ruble,” said junior Zane Kieffer a member of Phi Psi.

According to Dana Behum, the assistant director of Student Involvement for Fraternity and Sorority Life, the men of Phi Psi are attempting to improve their living atmosphere and take pride in their house.

“These men believe in ‘sweat equity,’” she said. “They wanted to show that they were willing to make the effort to improve their space, it also has served as a positive brotherhood event.”

Buildings and Grounds and Aramark aided with the clean up of the rubble. They turned off the power in the house to make for a safer atmosphere and so the fraternity men could work at maximum productivity.

Ohio Wesleyan Moot Court teams have a history of excelling in competition, and this fall the story was no different. Two rounds of qualifiers were held in November, and OWU was the only school to have all teams qualify to the second round of regionals.

Ten teams of two people traveled to Saginaw, Michigan and/or Wooster, Ohio to compete in the regional stage of the mock constitutional case completion. Each pair receives a case in the beginning of the year that surrounds two issues. This year, the issues were First Amendment and Equal Protection.

Partners have to craft arguments both for the state and the citizen. Seniors Liam Dennigan and Memme Onwudiwe were one of OWU’s teams.

Both said they found it a valuable experience.

“I really enjoyed it,” Dennigan said.

Onwudiwe agreed, stating: “Going to Michigan and competing against all these other teams from other schools was great.”

“Last year we went to nationals, and I think it really helped me with my presentation skills,” Dennigan said. “It gave me the ability to react quickly and respond in a clear and concise way. It is probably the most intellectually stimulating program on campus.”

Andrew Paik ‘14 went to Nationals last year in his last semester. He now attends Law School at Harvard. Paik shared Dennigan’s sentiments.

“Nothing prepared me more for law school,” he said.

While the Dennigan/Onwudiwe pair was eliminated in the second day of regionals, two OWU team made it to nationals.

Junior pair Katherine Berger and Rhiannon Herbert, and senior pair Jordan Bernstein and Lidia Mowad are going to represent the Bishops in Miami, Florida, at the national tournament in February of 2015.This is the third straight year OWU has sent at least one team to the national tournament.

Each year, OWU teams improved their performances. In 2015, Bernstein/Mowad and Berger/Herbert will be trying to place higher than 33rd overall, achieved by the Dennigan/Onwudiwe duo in May 2014.

Mowad said they are up for the challenge.

“I’m excited that my partner, Jordan Bernstein, and I are the underdogs,” she said. “This was our first year doing Moot Court. We never expected such success, but the thrill of being an unknown threat at Nationals in Miami is exhilarating.”

Bernstien said she is excited to continue on in the competition.

“My favorite part of Moot Court is reading the precedents and then applying them to our current cases,” she said. “It is fun to see the language that the justices use, especially the snark at each other.”

At the November faculty meeting, admissions officials discussed the lack of international students admitted to Ohio Wesleyan this past year, and how they feel the cost to attend is what is driving them away.

“Other liberal arts colleges in central Ohio are becoming more competitive,” head of the admissions department, Susan Dileno said before her fellow colleagues.

“I am looking into ways in which we can make OWU more attractive to those students,” Dileno said. “Unfortunately, many international students are looking at school in Australia and the United Kingdom, where education is often cheaper than it is here.”

During his introduction, University President Rock Jones posed the question to fellow faculty and staff members: “How do we make OWU cost less?”

Jones said last year’s admission results were “disappointing,” citing the only reason that the university was losing students who listed OWU as their first choice was solely based on cost.

Dileno gave a status report on where the admissions department stands.

“We’ve received 1,132 applications as of (Monday),” Dileno said. “We’ve admitted 657 students.”

Dileno also noted the quality of students admitted thus far is up from last year. The average GPA is up .1 percent from 3.6 to 3.7 thus far this year. However, once the university admits more students, the grade point average may fluctuate, depending on the quality of the remainder of the students left to be admitted.

Dileno also mentioned that the percentage of applicants from Ohio is up from 43 percent last year to 46 this year.

“I know we want to push the diversity of the school, however, it’ll be more financially beneficial to admit more students from Ohio,” she said.

The Issue: Hong Kong Protests

At first, people thought the protests in Hong Kong would be short lived and relatively peaceful. However, the most recent developments have proven otherwise. On Monday, protestors tried and failed to surround government offices, and police raided the protestors’ biggest street camp. One of the major questions about these ongoing protests, according to the New York Times, is “how much longer the Hong Kong government would tolerate hundreds to tents only a stone’s throw from the city’s administrative and legislative complex(.)”

On Sunday, hundreds of protestors pushed past police lines and blocked traffic on main roads, according to the Associated Press. The police arrested at least 40 protestors, the Washington Post reported, and 17 police officers were injured during the clashes; the police senior superintendent would not “let the road…remain blocked.” The AP also reported that “protestors said they were taking action to force a response from Hong Kong’s government, which has made little effort to address their demands that it scrap a plan by China’s Communist leaders to use a panel of Beijing-friendly elites to screen candidates for Hong Kong’s leader inaugural 2017 elections.”

The protests began more than two months ago over election rules imposed by Beijing, the Washington Post said. Hong Kong’s chief executive, Leung Chun-ying told reporters that “police had so far been tolerant, but would now ‘enforce the law without hesitation’ to end the protests that have paralyzed parts of the Asian financial hub,” according to the Post.

The Issue: Climate Change

United Nations negotiators are meeting in South America this week to try and make a global pact to halt climate change, according to the New York Times. They say “without a deal…the world could eventually become uninhabitable for humans.”

This meeting comes a few weeks after an announcement by President Barack Obama and China’s president Xi Jinping of “commiting the world’s two largest carbon polluters to cuts in their emissions,” the Times reported.

According to Al Jazeera the deal between the United States and China would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emission over the next 15 years: “The U.S. part of the plan calls for a 26 to 28 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emission by 2025 based on 2005 levels. That’s a big increase from Obama’s earlier goal of reducing emission 17 percent by 2020.”

The BBC reported 195 nations have committed to “finalizing a new climate pact in Paris by 2015’s end.” The BBC says this process has been helped by recent developments in climate change, including the U.S./China announcement.

In the spirit of giving thanks, Resident Assistants of Smith Hall publicly displayed their appreciation for Ohio Wesleyan’s Public Safety department.

The RAs tabled Nov. 10-12 to gather signatures on a banner and signed cards from students in Smith Hall. Along with chocolate chip and white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, the idea was to create a physical representation to acknowledge PS’s work.

RA Whitney Weadock cooked up the idea during a staff meeting. Last Valentine’s Day, students did a similar project aimed at acknowledging Smith’s housekeeping staff.

Ally Himes, Smith’s Residential Life Coordinator, said the housekeeping staff members were so touched that it brought one of them to tears. The RAs hoped PS would feel equally as valued.

“I think it is so valuable for us in our lives to take time to appreciate others for the work they do,” she said.

Weadock shared Himes’ sentiments.

“It was a way to bring in students from all the buildings because everyone eats at Smith and we were able to incorporate them all in thanking Public Safety,” she said. “I also led a mission trip to Nicaragua with (PS Director) Bob Wood and got to know him better that way. Hearing how much they care about the students is really incredible.

Becca Castera, a Smith RA for the past three years said the banner would be put in the PS office.

“Even though they work different shifts, they can all see it,” she said.

“I think it will be a nice message of thanks not only from the RAs but also the students they help keep safe.

“I know that as RAs, we really value Public Safety’s assistance. If there are crisis situations, Public Safety is our number one call.”

Some of the smallest things done by PS are often overlooked, said Toby Phongmekin, another RA.

“You have to understand they’re just trying to keep the safety within OWU,” he said.  “What they’re doing is making campus a better and safer place.”

RA Milagros Green, responsible for creating the banner, said.

“PS gave me a ride to Delaware’s public library when I had a tutoring job. They were also amazing helping my friend when the whole bathroom incident in Thomson happened.”

Green is referring to the incidents that occurred in Thomson and Bashford Halls two years ago when a male student, Waleed Osman, was hiding in the community bathrooms and watching female students shower. He later plead guilty to two felony charges and two misdemeanor charges.

By Hayley Walls
Transcript Correspondent

Despite low student interest in the past, Ohio Wesleyan’s Student Health Services has a dietitian for the third consecutive year to help students learn ways to eat healthier on campus.

The university has offered the service to students since  director of Health Services Marsha Tilden proposed the idea.

“I go to a lot of conferences and I noticed that a lot of schools our size have a dietitian,” Tilden said.

The first year the university offered the service, registered and licensed dietitian Becki Nardin-Hardy worked through Chartwells and came to Smith Dining Hall once a month to answer students’ diet and nutrition questions. The service is now available to students by appointment through the Student Health Center.

The position is not full-time, as Nardin-Hardy is only on campus when she has an appointment scheduled with a student. It is unlikely to become permanent because there has not been enough interest in the service to keep a busy schedule.

“So far, we’ve only had three students call about the service this year,” Tilden said.

Nardin-Hardy attended the Division of Medical Dietetics at The Ohio State University after receiving her bachelor’s degree.

She works with dialysis patients in Columbus in addition to working in OWU Health Services. Her father, David Nardin, worked in the Student Health Center for 30 years before retiring in 1999.

During appointments, Nardin-Hardy is able to help students develop healthier eating habits on campus with regard to specific lifestyles, including vegans, vegetarians, athletes and gluten-free eaters.

She can also answer questions about nutritional habits for weight loss and weight gain.

For serious psychological dietary issues such as eating disorders, students should visit Counseling Services.

More than 90 percent of college students eat less than the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, according to a study conducted by the American College Health Association.

The study also found that more than one-third of college students also have a body mass index that is above or below the healthy weight.

Appointments with the dietitian cost $15 for 30 minutes and $30 for an hour and can be paid for by cash, check or student account.

Laughter and music echoed throughout the Hamilton-Williams Campus Center Benes Rooms on Nov. 8 as Diwali, the festival of lights, was hosted by SANGAM.

SANGAM, an Ohio Wesleyan organization that represents and supports South Asian events and culture, organized and executed the festival.

Diwali originated in Indiaand is one of the largest festivals of the Hindu religion. Traditionally Diwali is held in the fall for five days, the third day being celebrated as the main day, the “Festival of Lights”

SANGAM president, Shashwat Rijal, said that the name “Diwali” derives from the Sanskirt word “deepavali.” The first half of the word “deepa” means lights, and the second half “vali” means row of lights, hence the name “festival of lights.”

Rijal also said the festival is an official national holiday in Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore and Fiji.

Another SANGAM member, senior Vrinda Trivedi, said the meaning behind the Diwali festivals is to “celebrate the victory of good over evil” and “light over darkness.” Trivedi also said homes in many countries that recognize the festival are decorated with candles or diyas to signify the message behind Diwali.

During the event, free Indian food was out for attendees to enjoy and Akram Hossain, another SANGAM member, presented a brief Hindi prayer. A Bollywood inspired dance performance, choreographed by Trivedi, was the highlight of the festival. Trivedi described her song selection for the performance as “upbeat” and “fun.” Each performer wore kurtis and kurtas, traditional Indian clothing

While Trivedi said hosting the festival was intended to be fun and help international students experiencing homesickness, Rijal said the event was simply to educate OWU and introduce them to something new.

“The purpose was just to introduce the [OWU] community to the a major Hindu festival,” Rijal said. “By organizing such cultural events, we hope to connect and contribute to the Ohio Wesleyan community.“