Category: News

Title IX compliance continues to be an ongoing process and a source of heated debate at many universities, and Ohio Wesleyan is no exception.

The Title IX statute of the Educational Amendments of 1972 states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Because even private universities like Ohio Wesleyan take advantage of federal grant money, Title IX requires essentially every institution in the United States to provide equal opportunities to both men and women.

Athletics

In September, Val Cushman visited campus to conduct an audit of Ohio Wesleyan’s Title IX compliance regarding our athletic programs. Cushman is the former athletic director at Randolph Macon Woman’s College and former senior assistant to the president at Washington & Lee University.

The OWU President’s Office hosted a Title IX presentation on Oct. 27 at noon in Benes Room B in which Cushman shared her findings and recommendations.

Cushman said the focus of her Title IX audits is intercollegiate athletics, but the statute involves many other issues, such as the practice of prohibiting men from admittance into nursing programs, which is now illegal.

She said the law was challenged all throughout the 1970s and 1980s and the right away to interpret it is still being decided. The Department of Education Office of Civil Rights is responsible for enforcing and interpreting the law, but it is also interpreted through case law.

Title IX has three prongs: quantity of opportunities, proportionality and quality of athletic experience. Each prong is determined in a specific way.

Cushman said she has her own way of telling if an athletics program is meeting Title IX requirements.

“An athletics program can be considered gender equitable when the participants in both the men’s and women’s sports programs would accept as fair and equitable the overall program of the other gender,” Cushman said.

According to the chart on Cushman’s slideshow, the amount of female athletes in the U.S. doubled between 1970 and 1980, and has continued to grow since then. The amount of male athletes has also continued to grow, and there are still more male athletes than female athletes.

Skylar Drake ’14, who works for the President’s office and helped create the event, said the fact that the male athlete population has also increased under Title IX stood out to her.

“Equity doesn’t mean taking away men’s opportunities,” Drake said. “Everyone deserves to have access to the same resources.”

Cushman said football began at OWU in 1890, and many other male sports were added in the decades to follow. However, the first varsity competition for women wasn’t established until 1982, nearly a century later.

She also said that the roster sizes for most men’s sports at OWU exceed the suggested size set by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). For women’s sports, however, the roster sizes are nearly all smaller than the suggested size. For example, the OWU football team is composed of 122 athletes. The NCAA suggests 58.

“While you (OWU athletics department) made improvements for women, you grew your men’s roster even more,” Cushman said.

She said OWU’s facilities and equipment, among other facets of the athletics department, are equitable, but 70% of athletic recruiting expenditures go to men’s teams, with only 30% going to women’s teams.

Cushman said another issue is that OWU currently has no policy regarding how to respond to requests for new sports.

Cushman’s recommendations include adding a female senior administrator to the athletics department, setting team roster sizes and coming up with a long-term plan to establish more women’s teams.

“I have never recommended a men’s sport be cut,” Cushman said. “At division III institutions with established programs, I would be hard pressed to say a male athlete having a good experience should lose that opportunity.”

She also said she believes OWU’s athletic program is something to be proud of. “Your next claim to fame just might be gender equity.”

Sexual Violence

About twenty-five students came out to see OWU administrators discuss Title IX’s effect on sexual violence policies on Oct. 29 at noon in Benes Room C.

The event was hosted by the Women’s Resource Center and the panel included Richelle Schrock, women’s and gender studies professor; Kimberlie Goldsberry, Dean of Students; Michael Esler, coordinator of student conduct; Levi Harrel, residential life coordinator; and Douglas Bennet, Director of Counseling Services.

Senior Lo Rump, intern at the Women’s Resource Center, said the event came about because she and other interns had been hearing a lot about Title IX in the news and how it might change sexual violence policies, but they didn’t know much else about it. They thought many other students might be the same way.

“We wanted to bring together some administrators and people on campus to further explain what these changes were and how they pertain to OWU,” Rump said.

Panelists were each given the chance to share with the audience their thoughts and experiences regarding OWU’s sexual violence policies and Title IX’s effect on them.

Goldsberry said new laws and regulations are passed often, and so sexual violence policies are continually evolving.

“Oftentimes legislators are not familiar with the student experience on the college campus,” Goldsberry said. “They don’t always have that full knowledge, but I trust they’re doing the best they can with the info they have.”

She said a bystander intervention training program was started in October to teach faculty, staff and students how to properly intervene in crisis situations, including those regarding sexual violence. She said there will be four training sessions in November focusing on prevention.

In the past ten years, there has been “an explosion” of Title IX activity, Esler said. It began as an anti-discrimination edict, but has changed over time.

He also said the government assumes colleges are trying to conceal sexual violence on their campuses, but that is not always true. OWU has a higher rate of reporting sexual violence than many other universities, he said.

Harrel told the audience about the process that occurs when sexual misconduct is reported and said Title IX hasn’t had much of an effect on that. He said he becomes “very personally invested” in cases of sexual assault and that residential life staff are always there to help.

For more information about sexual violence at OWU, see Public Safety’s 2014 Clery Campus Safety Report on public safety’s website.

Homecoming king and queen talk love and life at OWU

Seniors Brittany Hupp and Tom Horsfall are busy folks. Horsfall hold’s the title of the men’s varsity swim captain, acts as the service director for Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity, is the MS Walk coordinator for the Neuroscience Club and is a member of President’s Club and Order of Omega.

Hupp’s resume is equally impressive, juggling her positions as scholarship director for her sorority, PanHellenic Council’s membership director and the president of the earth sciences honor society, Sigma Gamma Epsilon.

In addition to being the epitome of Ohio Wesleyan success stories on their own, the two have been an item before even their first day of classes.

Horsfall and Hupp have been recognized as an university power couple for almost their entire OWU careers, and now they have the titles to prove it. The pair was honored as this year’s Homecoming King and Queen, so we caught up with them to get the lowdown on the first couple of campus.

The Transcript: Now that we know about you individually, tell us about you as a couple. How did you meet, and how did you start dating?

Brittany Hupp: This is actually pretty funny. We met at Fresh X before freshman year even started. We were both on the camping trip and immediately hit it off. By the end of the trip we had shared many laughs, a few intense euchre games, and most memorably, our first kiss out under the stars.  He was literally the first person I talked to at Fresh X and after a few weeks into freshman year we officially started dating. Over three years later and we’re still going strong.

T: Favorite quality of your significant other?

BH: This is hard. I love his compassion, sense of humor, and comforting nature. Also, his amazing good looks are a plus. I have never been so connected to another human being and am so very blessed to have Tom in my life. He’s pretty great.

Tom Horsfall: She can make me laugh no matter what mood I’m in.

T: What do you love most about the school?

TH: I love the people at this school as well as the amazing opportunities the school has to offer. I don’t know where to begin about just how amazing the people at this school are. People here are just so friendly and that’s one of the biggest reasons I came here. I feel like when I talk to people on this campus they are so genuine and excited about what they are doing in their studies. I love how everyone is so motivated to do their best and to get out into the world and make a difference. Also, the professors here are absolutely amazing.

BH: I absolutely love OWU. I could not imagine myself being a part of a better community than that which exists here at this university. I love the passionate attitude that both the students and professors show in academics as well as making this world a better place. Perhaps most importantly, I love the accepting environment that OWU provides. Being a young mother, I’ve experienced a lot of negative treatment from other people, but here at OWU I’ve experienced the exact opposite.

T: What does winning mean to you?

BH: Winning Homecoming Queen is just really the icing on the cake. My time at this university has only brought wonderful people and opportunities into my life, and this is just another example of it.

TH: It means a lot. I love the people on this campus and it is really nice to know they love me back. One moment that stuck out to me was when my name was announced at the football game. I was not expecting such a loud roar of support.  I’m lucky to know so many wonderful people.

T: Advice to freshmen?

BH: Be open minded, take risks, and really take advantage of everything that OWU has to offer! You won’t regret it.

TH: Don’t be afraid to do what you want in college, go for it. One quote that has stuck with me that was said by our very own Branch Rickey has been “Never surrender opportunity for security.” I know it sounds so cliché but if you take that little bit of advice I guarantee you will be much happier with your college experience.

The trends in digital media present both an opportunity and a challenge to the National Geographic Society (NG) based off of last Thursday’s Milligan Leaders in Business Lecture Series featuring Tracie Winbigler.

Winbigler (‘87) earned her bachelor’s degree at Ohio Wesleyan in economics concentrating in management. Following that, Winbigler began her career working for General Electric and NBC.

The series opened with remarks from university president Rock Jones. In addition to the history behind the Milligan Lecture Series, Jones noted the opportunity afforded to students in receiving a liberal arts education in the exemplification of Winbigler’s career in the business and non-profit sectors.

“I think in particular for students, it’s good to realize that in both of these sectors [there is] important, life-changing work for the common good and Tracie exemplifies that,” Jones saud.

Winbigler was formally introduced by professor of economics Bob Gitter,  as he was Winbigler’s former professor. Wingbigler attributes the start of her career at GE to Gitter, who encouraged her to sign up for their finance management program when she was a senior at OWU.

“It is one of the greatest joys of my job to see the success of the students that have returned to Ohio Wesleyan,” Gitter said, “It was just a joy to work with [Winbigler], to watch her grow in her time at Ohio Wesleyan, and to see how she’s continued to grow throughout the years.”

The presentation opened with the mission statement and description as to what the National Geographic Society is, and Winbigler’s role in the publication.

“We have a lot of media assets that support our not-for-profit business and so it’s an engine,” Winbigler said, “We have a lot of storytelling assets and the way the machine works is we make profit from the storytelling assets to feed the not-for-profit side of grants and educational activities globally.”

The lecture consisted of certain trends being noticed in the digital media and their effect on the business both in NG and beyond. Winbigler mainly used graphs and charts to illustrate the ebb and flow of certain mediums of media including the big four—TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines—in profits and advertising.

Winbigler expressed the need for NG and other media outlets to reorient their marketing pitch to consumers to stay on the radar in the Digital Age. She illustrated NG’s efforts to this effect by means of creating a more interactive online periodical and website through sending Instagram photos directly to NG’s account to see if they get posted.

There are also ideas to create online levels of memberships/subscriptions to the website with different amounts of packages being granted to certain member groups.

With that in mind, she noted the difficulty NG has in reaching the age group of late teens, early 20s people—a problem many digital media companies do not have. There is also a need for balancing the education and entertainment aspects of the company.

“Being a joint venture with Fox, that’s one of the most interesting balancing acts we have to make. Fox wants ratings. They’re a commercial entity,” Winbigler said in a later interview.

“What we’re trying to do is work with the channel to get a little more on-brand [more educational, documentary-style shows].”

This week, the Global Grab is going national, in honor of the Midterm elections. Republicans picked up 13 House seats, while also picking up seven Senate seats. To get the majority for the Senate, the Republicans needed to pick up six. So that means they’re firmly the majority. Many Democratic-leaning states, such as Maryland, Massachusetts and Illinois, picked up Republican governors. Politico is calling it the “Red Dawn.”

Here are the rundowns of some major races around the country.

Ohio: Republicans took all of the state’s highest ranking offices, with incumbnent John Kasic winning against Ed FitzGerald with 64 percent of the vote. To make things worse for the dems, the chair of the Democratic Party of Ohio, Chris Redfern, resigned after he lost his race for the 89th House district  seat. The repubulicans also took home two state supreme court spots.

New Hampshire: Democrat Jeanne Shaheen held onto her Senate seat, beating Scott Brown. His name may sound familiar, since he was a senator in Massachusetts before being ousted by current Senator Elizabeth Warren. There was a lot of controversy surrounding Brown’s latest run, since he wasn’t from New Hampshire. He qualified as a resident of the state because he has a vacation home there.

Kentucky: Another contentious Senate race took place in Kentucky, between Senate minority, now majority, leader Mitch McConnell and a new rising star in the Democratic Party, Alison Lundergan Grimes. Up until the election, the polls were very close, but McConnell had the edge. It turned out he did, as he won the seat 55.74 percent to Lundergan Grimes’ 41.19 percent.

Louisiana: With eight people on the ballot and one candidate needing to get over 50 percent of the vote, it was bound to be hard for any candidate to win Louisiana’s Senate seat.

However, early in the night, it was decided that there will be a two candidate runoff between Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu and Republican Bill Cassidy, which is supposed to take place on December 6. That means we won’t know who the majority in the Senate will be until December at the earliest.

North Carolina: This Senate race is considered to be the most expensive of the 2014 midterm elections, if not ever. Incumbent Democratic Senator Kay Hagan lost to Republican Thom Tillis by two points. Many Democrats were hopeful, even after the polls closed, that Hagan could pull out a victory, but Tillis thwarted those hopes.

Wisconsin: In one of the most contentious gubernatorial races in the country, incumbent Republican Gov. Scott Walker won his third election in four years. This was going to be a challenging race, since Walker was quite unpopular in Wisconsin due to abolishing unions, which led to a recall race in 2012 that he ultimately won. By holding on to the governorship, this puts Walker as a potentially strong presidential candidate in 2016.

Colorado: In another closely watched Senate races, it was another victory for the Republicans. Republican Rep. Cory Gardner beat Democratic Sen. Mark Udall. It was expected to be a close one, even though polls had Gardner winning within the margin of error.

As of the writing of this piece, the gubernatorial race in Colorado is much too close to call. Democrat incumbent John Hickenlooper was leading Republican Bob Beauprez 48 percent to 47.3 percent, with 92 percent of the votes counted, according to Talking Points Memo. Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler said there is a strong possibility the race could go to a recount.

However, voters in Colorado rejected the “personhood” ballot measure, which would have granted “personhood rights to developing fetuses from the moment of fertilization,” according to the Huffington Post. Colorado rejected the amendment 67 percent to 37 percent, the third time they voted down a “personhood” measure in the past few years.

Florida: This race was a strange one. It includes Charlie Crist, a former governor of Florida. When he was governor last time, he was a Republican, but in 2014, he ran as a Democrat. However, incumbent Republican Gov. Rick Scott held on and beat Crist in a close race.

In other news in Florida, the medicinal marijuana ballot initiative failed to get the required 60 percent “Yes” vote, so the measure failed.

By Maddie Oslejsek
Transcript Correspondent

The Assessment Committee and Provost’s Office at Ohio Wesleyan are offering $15 to 125 first-year students who complete an online test that measures critical thinking skills.

The Council on Aid to Education developed the test in 2000 and called it the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA). It has since been updated to CLA+, a version that provides students with their scores and an explanation of where those results place them academically at their own institution and nationwide.

The test is split up into two parts. In the first part, students are presented with a problem along with documents and data related to the question. They must choose a position and use the materials given to support their stance. The second part involves reading short sections and answering multiple-choice questions.

After completing the hour and a half long test, students receive $15. The cash payment for participation is the incentive the university is using to try to get students to take the test. So far, 115 of the needed 125 first year students took the test. The remaining ten students can sign up to take the CLA+ before the online portal closes Friday.

Barbara Andereck, the assistant provost for Assessment and Accreditation and an administrator on the Assessment Committee, said the goal for the test is to benefit students and their learning by allowing the university to determine where it is strong in educating students and where it needs to improve.

More than 700 institutions in the United States and internationally have used these assessments to keep track of the difference between growth in student learning at their college or university compared to other institutions, according to the Council’s website.

Though colleges have continually measured student learning within courses, Andereck said, there is an external push to assess student learning and outcomes outside of the classroom to demonstrate students’ improvements throughout college in skills such as problem solving, scientific reasoning, critical reading and critiquing an argument.

OWU plans to use the data from CLA+ to improve the curriculum and teaching at the university.

“Without a regular and systematic assessment program institutions are in danger of having negative reviews from their accrediting agencies,” Andereck said.

The Assessment Committee hopes to have general data related to last year’s CLA results to share with the campus later this academic year.

By Lexy Immerman
Transcript Correspondent

The Medieval and Renaissance Recreation Combat Association (MRRCA) is revamping their activities this year, teaching members to handle a variety of medieval weapons and spar with each other in the hopes of preparing members for competitions.

The MRRCA has been around for almost thirty years, according to captain and senior, Thomas Mueller, but this year is different.

“We’re getting it more formalized, and doing a lot of stuff that they just didn’t do before,” he said. “We want people to leave at the end of the year having rudimentary knowledge of how to use a sword. So far it’s working.”

The association strives to learn historically accurate techniques for medieval and Renaissance-style fighting, and to apply those techniques in various game scenarios to develop strategic thinking and enhance their abilities.

“There were six of us in beginning,” Mueller said. “It wasn’t very formal, and no one knew anything for real. [Mark] Wicker, the instructor this year, has done sword training since he was 14 or 15. We have just started sparring.”

According to Mueller, the club was previously against sparring and, as a result, “no one learned anything.”

Wicker is bringing new light into their practices.

“We’re learning more from someone who knows what he’s doing rather than using a small bit of knowledge passed down over the years or learning from books on our own,” said Christy Mendiola, a junior and co-captain.

The MRRCA has about 20 members who routinely attend practices, which are held at the grassy area outside Stuyvesant Hall on Thursdays and Fridays from 4:30-5:30.

“I’ve always been interested in medieval history and that stuff, and combat is something that is easier to practice than building things or farming, something that I can experience firsthand rather than reading a book,” freshman Colin McGarry said.

Sharing similar interests, freshman Evan Fitzpatrick, said that he used to be interested in medieval history, and enjoys learning the swordplay.

“Basically it’s beating […] each other with fancy plastic,” he said.

The “fancy plastic” described is hand-and-a-half swords or broadswords, daggers, spears, and shields, made from polypropylene. Although they are safer than real metal, but they still pack a hit, which is why anyone sparring wears armor.

The armor is comprised of thick, padded leather suits paired with fencing helmets and protective gloves like the kind construction workers wear. In addition to the plastic weapons, the association has bamboo and wooden swords, some of which are donated from alumni.

“You will get hurt if you take a clip to the hand,” said freshman Jonathan Bethiel. “But our armor is thick leather, so getting hit by a sword doesn’t hurt that bad.”

In addition to weaponry, the group will also be learning grappling and hand-to-hand combat. Bethiel used to fence and practice martial arts, but was interested in medieval combat because it was such a novel concept. 

“I mean, who will mess with you if you’re carrying a broadsword? That wins fights,” he said.

Senior Victoria Licata also used to do fencing and swordplay.

“I’m a medieval studies minor, so this is in my field of study, plus it’s fun and a good workout,” she said.

Typical practice activities include members sparring against each other using different weapons, doing drills, and practicing forms, slices, and blocks to form muscle memory. During sparring, opponents generally wield bamboo swords, exchanging a calculated flurry of blows designed to take down an opponent. Unlike in fencing, where a light touch to the body wins a point, medieval combatants put enough force behind their blows to knock their opponent to the ground. After sparring, combatants are red-faced, sweaty, and breathing heavily from the exertion, and nursing a few bruises.

“We will be trying to expand in a couple of years,” Mendiola said. “We know there’s a similar organization at Ohio State that we want to get in contact with.”

Until then, members of the MRRCA can be seen having rapid sparring matches on the lawn outside of Stuyvesant, honing their skills and practicing their passion.

By Shakira Braxton
Transcript Correspondent

Rock Jones announced a $75 thousand surprise gift in October, donated by an OWU alum’s family to serve as a space for meditation.

In late October, OWU students were informed that the university received a gift of a labyrinth. The labyrinth is a surprise gift donated by the husband of Kathe Rhinesmith, class of ‘64.

Rhinesmith not only graduated from OWU, but has also served on the Board of Trustees since 1999, and has acted as chair of both the Board of Trustees and the Alumni Board.

“This gift was Kathe’s husband’s idea and not one which we solicited.  He is making it to honor her long-standing commitment to OWU and the significance of labyrinths in her life,” said Colleen Garland, Vice President of University Advancement.

When asked about the gift and other areas of OWU the money could be contributed to Garland said money from donations can only be utilized for the donor’s vision.

“The gift is not one which could be redirected to other purposes and it will cover the entire construction costs so that no OWU funds will be used,” Garland said.

“However, it’s important to note that the family does support the OWU Fund every year which helps students directly.”

The Labyrinth is expected to be completed by May, just in time for Alumni Weekend and commencement.

The labyrinth is suspected to add a nice additional aesthetic to OWU’s 200 acre campus; but the right place has not yet been finalized. However, the north side of Merrick Hall along the Delaware run has been suggested as a promising location for the labyrinth.

Studies of labyrinths have show effectiveness in reducing anxiety, and have also have been referred to as a “prayer/meditation walk,” reported Dr. Hebert Benson, founder of Mind/Body Medical Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

A labyrinth is an innovative structure to use as a meditation area on a college campus. OWU will not be the first university to introduce a labyrinth on campus, but will be amongst a select few.

“We all benefit from quiet places where we can withdraw from the noise and activity of daily life for quiet reflection and renewal of the inner spirit,” said President Rock Jones.

“A labyrinth is such a place.”

The Delaware bar scene’s Ohio Wesleyan representatives no longer include just students, thanks to a classic rock band comprised of four OWU professors.

Professors Erin Flynn, Mark Gingerich, James Franklin and John Stone-Mediatore are the members of The Stolen Fire, which was created in the fall of 2011.

Stone-Mediatore and Gingerich began playing music together before the other two members joined in on the fun. When the search for other musicians began, Stone-Mediatore knew exactly where to go. He had played with Franklin in bands before and knew of his talent. Franklin quickly joined the band, leaving a frontman as the band’s only missing component. The trio heard about Flynn’s captivating and energetic performances through the grapevine, and once Flynn was on board the band was set to get started.

“Just everything clicked, these guys are really good musicians and all of us have been in bands before,” Franklin said. “We could just sit down and play music that sounded good.”

The band’s name comes from Greek mythology.

“Prometheus stole fire from Zeus to give to humankind,”  said Stone-Mediatore, a literature professor. “I like the literary angle of that story.”

All the professors are thrilled with how the band has turned out and love getting together on the weekends to jam out in Stone-Mediatore’s basement studio. “It’s great, I think it’s been going about perfect.”  Franklin said.

“We’ve all been playing in bands since we were really young, so it’s really important to us,”  Stone-Mediatore said.  “We have a great time.”

Many students know the band because they have seen them perform live at Clancey’s Pub on Saturday nights. Stone-Mediatore said he is overjoyed every time they get a chance to perform in front of students.

“Students have so much energy, and that’s really great for us because it helps us play better,”  he said. “It’s really special because it enables us to have fun with the students and get to know them not just as students, but as people.”

Franklin said he is a little more unsure than Stone-Mediatore about playing in front of his students.

“It can be a little strange, we’re the professors and their our students,”  Franklin said.  “We see each other in a whole different way than you do in the classroom.”

Along with Clancey’s Pub, the band also performs at Roop’s Pub and at events hosted by the university.

By Haley Walls
Transcript Correspondent

Typhoon, a new Asian fusion restaurant, is coming to downtown Delaware in mid-November in place of Chandra’s Bistro at 10 N. Sandusky St.

The menu consists of mainly handcrafted Chinese, Thai, and Asian dishes, according to the restaurant’s website. All ingredients are MSG-free and are not pre-processed.

“We use a lot of fresh ingredients as local as possible,” said TJ Wellman, part-owner. “One thing you’ll notice is that we use fresh fish, whereas Chandra’s used frozen.”

The restaurant will serve local beers on tap as well as traditional Asian beverages like sake. Each entrée will be served with white or brown rice cooked fresh every order.

Typhoon will have various options for gluten-free and vegetarian eaters. All of their Asian entrées can also be made vegetarian-friendly by substituting meat for tofu or vegetables, Wellman said.

Wellman and his business partners Xue-gong and Xue-qin Chen also own Royal Ginger, a sister restaurant of Typhoon located in Polaris. The trio previously owned Ginger Asian Kitchen in Athens, Ohio before recently selling it to new management.

Renovations of the restaurant began on Oct. 16. The restrooms have been updated and only slight changes will be made to the dining space, such as changing paint colors and restoring the original wood, Wellman said.

The dining room will seat 40 to 50 people with an extra 12 to 15 seats at the bar. There will be an outdoor patio for use in warmer months.

In addition to traditional dining, Typhoon will offer online ordering for carryout. It will also be available for private parties and events.

The owners purchased the equipment left in the building from Chandra’s Bistro and took over the lease. They also acquired the previous restaurant’s liquor license.

Chandra’s Bistro opened in 2007 and closed near the beginning of October for family related reasons.

The owners of Typhoon are looking to hire 7 or 8 experienced servers. They are bringing in employees from Royal Ginger to help with the restaurant’s opening.

Wellman said they hope to have the restaurant open by Nov. 11. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thurday and open until 11 p.m. on weekends.

Commencement this spring may take place on the Merrick Hall terrace, as long as construction stays on schedule.

“Merrick Hall as one of our oldest and most historic buildings is a natural backdrop for commencement, the most important event of the year,” President Rock Jones said.

Peter Schantz, the director of the physical plant, said the intention has always been to have Merrick as the site for commencement. The question is whether it will be ready in time for the upcoming ceremony in spring 2015.

In the past, commencement has been held on Phillips Glen and the patio of Phillips Hall was used for the stage. While not positive about how long commencement has taken place there, the Provost Chuck Stinemetz said he graduated there in 1983.

“The decision to move commencement to Merrick Hall was driven by both the physical challenges of holding graduation in the existing site and the advantages afforded by the Merrick site,” Stinemetz said.

There were many difficulties with the site at Phillips, such as faculty seating, line of sight for families and photography Stinemetz said. By moving commencement to a more central location in the quad area they hope to eliminate most of these problems.

“We are currently planning for graduation to take place in front of Merrick,” Stinemetz said. “However, we do have back up plans including the possibility of it returning to the Phillips patio or taking place on the lawn in front of University Hall.”

Construction at Merrick is on schedule at this time, but there have been some unforeseen challenges, which are to be expected in a nearly 150-year-old building Schantz said.

For example, constructions crews had to replace the water service to the building, which they were not anticipating.

While the terrace is in place, there are other aspects that need to be completed before the area is ready for commencement. They plan to install a new door on the south façade of the building in the center of the terrace. Also, a new driveway will hopefully be going in this fall in front of the site.