Category: News

The Issue: Scotland

The historic vote for separation in Scotland did not turn out how the separatists wanted. Scotland agreed to stay as a part of the United Kingdom in a close referendum vote: 55 percent against secession and 45 percent for it, according to Reuters. No one was certain of how this referendum would turn out, since every poll had different results.

A few days after the referendum, British Prime Minister David Cameron passed a series of laws to transfer key decision-making powers from London to Scotland, the Associated Press said. Reuters reports that these new powers include taxation, spending and welfare.

Even with these changes, some Scottish nationalist leaders have been saying that British political leaders “tricked” Scots out of independence. These accusations come from Alex Salmond, the Scottish nationalist chief, who Reuters reported is stepping down as leader of the pro-independence Scottish National Party. Salmond is accusing “politicians in London of reneging on their promises to hand more power to Scots…that he said played a crucial role in swinging the votes in favor of union in Thursday’s vote.”

Even though this vote for independence failed, other areas interested in secession are using Scotland as an example on how to go about the process. For example, the AP reports that lawmakers in Spain’s Catalonia region voted on Friday to “give their leader the power to call a secession referendum that the central government in Madrid has denounced as illegal.” Other places interested in secession are the Basques in northern Spain, the Corsicans in France, Italians in several northern regions, the Flemish in Belgium and the Quebec province in Canada.

The Issue: Afghanistan

After a tumultuous election, an American-brokered deal finally decided who would become president in Afghanistan. The nation’s election commission pronounced Ashraf Ghani the winner of the presidential election, the New York Times reported. However, the commission did not disclose the total amount of votes won, “despite an exhaustive and costly audit process overseen by the United Nations and financed by the American government.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Reuters reported, “…Ghani will share power with a chief executive proposed by Abdullah (Abdullah Abdullah, a former foreign minister and Ghani’s rival). The two will share control over who leads key institutions such as the Afghan army and other executive decisions.”

This deal was brokered by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, “We support this agreement and stand ready to work with the next administration to ensure its success.”

Does OWU’s new social media infatuation bring students together or rip them apart?

By Ellin Youse and Miranda Anthony
Editor-in-Chief and Transcript Reporter

If it’s happening at Ohio Wesleyan, chances are it’s being talked about on Yik Yak.

The app is the newest craze in social media as well as the latest trend in anonymous OWU forums, following the likes of OWU Confessions Facebook Page and the OWU Crushes and OWU Creeper Twitter pages.

“Share your thoughts, keep your privacy,” Yik Yak boasts on its homepage. The app allows users to “yak” a post up to 200 characters long anonymously. Users can “upvote” or “downvote” other yaks, and because of the constant posting and downvoting of other yaks, the posts usually don’t stay up for long. If a yak gets -5 downvotes, Yik Yak automatically removes it.

Launched in January 2014, the app has gained national recognition as one of the fastest growing social me- dia companies in the United States and is now being used by over 25,000 people on over 250 U.S. college campuses.

The anonymity of Yik Yak makes the app stand out in a world where any post on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram can haunt the author even after a post is taken off its respected site. Users of social media are conditioned to believe that anything they post can follow them forever with a single screenshot, but Yik Yak solves that problem. By allowing authors complete privacy, people can say what- ever they want about what- ever or whomever they want, without repercussion.

The app’s anonymity feature comes with some controversy. The app blocks users from posting if they are near middle and high schools in an effort to avoid cyber bullying. One of Yik Yak’s co-founders, who refuses to reveal his or her identity to the public, said in a press release this March that the app is designed with college campuses in mind.

“We created Yik Yak to give college students a private platform for communicating with their entire campus,” said the unnamed Yik Yak cofounder. “Yakkers have used the app to find a place to crash, report lost and found items and alert other students about deals at nearby bars.”

Campus controversy

While it may be a great resource for lost freshmen and bored seniors, the app has caused serious issues for many schools, college campuses included.

At Emory & Henry college in Virginia, for example, school administrators responded seriously to a death threat against freshmen posted on Yik Yak. In Mobile, Ala. a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old were arrested for threatening posts on the site, and according to the Los Angeles Times, at least four Chicago-area high schools warned parents about Yik Yak, urging them to delete the app from their children’s phones.

OWU Yaks

OWU has been climbing the ranks of the Yik Yak universe in the past weeks, making it to the site’s “peek” page, which allows users from all over the nation to read the yaks happening on OWU’s campus.

“My opinion of Yik Yak, initially, was that it was funny and that I kind of learned about the campus, but then I started seeing all of these negative comments: mean things about fraternities and about things freshmen do,” freshman Mac Willard said. “People were saying some pretty rude stuff, so I deleted it.”

OWU Greek life has been implicated as well, with posts frequently mentioning the Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternities and the Delta Gamma and Delta Delta Delta sororities.

Students have spoken out about the app via yaks, posting about the positives the app brings to the student community. In one yak, a student contemplating suicide was encouraged by classmates to seek counseling. Many posts are also about where students can go to find parties, and even more are jokes.

“Most of Yik Yak is really stupid, like 75 percent,” said sophomore Aletta Doran. “Most of what you read just doesn’t make a lot of sense, but there are some good things about it. There have been several instances where people have said ‘I want to commit suicide, I need help,’ and everybody dropped all the bullshit and supported each other.”

For senior Ibrahim Saeed, the app provides campus with a “collective consciousness.” While Saeed said he thinks there have been dark moments for OWU’s Yik Yak, he said the app will improve with time.

“I feel that the more people adopt Yik Yak, the better it will represent Ohio Wesleyan,” he said. “…(T)he OWU based Yik Yak users have been pretty good about down-voting things that shouldn’t be there, which removes it forever. I think the goal of the app is to let people feel a part of the greater community and it does accomplish that to an extent.”

But it’s not all warm and fuzzy. Jokes at the expense of minority racial communities on campus have been frequenting the app, with yaks saying things like, “Black people are poor,” “HBC (the House of Black Culture) looking like a crack house,” and “All Asians flock together.”

Senior Khristina Gardner, moderator of the House of Black Culture, said she would “much rather sit back and keep an eye on the things that are being said from afar” than address the problem directly on the app.

“When I read the comments on Yik Yak that were geared towards the House of Black Culture as well as to black people in general, it really had me thinking – especially when I woke up the next morning,” she said. “I became uneasy all of a sudden because of the fact that Yik Yak is anonymous and that it could have been anyone at OWU. I could walk past them everyday on campus and not even know that it was them that posted such hateful things.”

Gardner added that the comments on Yik Yak about her home and comments on race in general say “a lot more about them (the posts’ authors) than they do about me.”

“There is way too much ignorance being practiced on OWU’s campus and it is not my job to necessarily correct it, especially when there are more than enough opportunities on and off campus to get educated about the things that make us different from one another,” she said.

Photos by Spenser Hickey and Jane Suttmeier

Spirits and solar power is the concept behind Solar Saloon, a new bar in downtown Delaware.

Solar Saloon operates completely on solar power, and the bar also sells solar panels in addition to it’s drinks.

The “Solar” in Solar Saloon is more than just an attempt to attract a different crowd. Besides selling solar panels and other objects powered by solar energy, the bar itself is completely run by solar panels.

“We have a big display in the back (with the solar energy items),” said Patty Donovan the manager of the Saloon.

“We run our speakers, TVs, the lights with it. Everything, it’s so different.”

Located above Something Sweet Coffee & Bakery, the Solar Saloon is impossible to miss. The Saloon demands attention with bright green LED lights and flat screens lining the walls, especially when the sun begins to set.

“Everybody comes in and loves it. [It’s] so different than being downstairs on the street level, just something about it,” Donovan said.

With high chairs and a bar along the window, the Solar Saloon capitalizes on its unique location.

According to Donovan, they have been so busy since their opening two and half weeks ago, they haven’t had time for a grand opening.

“We have had soft openings after soft openings,” she said. “We get people of all ages, all walks of life, a lot of college students… That’s what makes it fun.”

Senior Maria Urbina is another one of the bartenders at the Solar Saloon. She started last Wednesday and said she “loves working there.”

“Patty [Donovan] is really great, and it’s a new bar which is always exciting for students,” Urbina said.

“I think it brings something fun and unique to the Delaware bar scene.”

When asked why people should consider including the Solar Saloon in their Delaware nightlife itinerary, Urbina emphasized the bar environment.

“It’s a really nice atmosphere… It’s cleaner than other places and I think it’s a nice change of scenery.”

Owner Don Temple has owned other bars in the past and is a partial owner of the solar panel company Goal Zero, which supplies the Solar Saloon with its clean energy.

Donovan said that Temple has “traveled around the country selling solar supplies” and also has “always wanted to combine a bar with his solar business.”

It seems like Temple has finally succeeded. The Solar Saloon is open 3 p.m. to 12 a.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays, and 12 p.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

With music in the air and the grill sizzling, Friday afternoon was filled with energy at Delta Tau Delta’s Beach Bash philanthropy event.

Students sat in the house lawn, some watching, others waiting for their turn to compete for beach volleyball glory.

Delt’s annual fall philanthropy event featured a beach volleyball tournament and a cookout for those in attendance. Teams paid a $30 entrance fee, with all funds raised going to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. Delt also sold t-shirts and bracelets to help raise awareness and funds.

“For us the biggest goal was to raise awareness for our cause,” said junior Tad Bustin, Delt’s philanthropy chair and the organizer of this year’s and last year’s events. He said 14 teams competed and they raised between $400-$500. Both these numbers were around the same as last year, but Delt members did notice more students in attendance overall.

While this year’s bash had many similarities, there were some new things Delt did differently. Due to predictions of a rainy Saturday, they decided to reschedule to Friday from 4:30 p.m.-7 p.m.

“Even though we had to reschedule, I think that ended up working out better for us.” Bustin said. “A lot of the students that came out said it was more convenient to attend after classes rather than noon Saturday. We also avoided conflict with Saturday’s block party, so the weather ended up being a blessing in disguise for us.”

Sigma Phi Epsilon won the tournament, defending their title from last year. After the tournament concluded, Delt hosted a dance party.

According to Delt Vice President Taimur Elahi, food point donations were collected at the door during the dance party. They won’t be converted directly to cash for JDRF, but will be used on food for future philanthropy events.

“Delt always has this event really well organized,” said junior attendee Miranda Ames, a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. “As someone who knows the struggle that goes into planning a philanthropy event, we appreciated how smoothly it was run.”

Bustin said raising awareness can be more of a challenge than expected.

“Hopefully next year we can promote even more and at the bash itself put more of a focus on promoting JDRF,” he said. “While I’m glad everyone had a good time, it will be even better to couple that enjoyment with awareness.”

By Miranda Anthony
Transcript Reporter

Thursday at 7 p.m., national bestselling author Donovan Hohn presented “The Blind Oceanographer: Lessons from the Hunt for Moby Duck” to students and faculty members in the Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, launching Ohio Wesleyan University’s 2014 Sagan National Colloquium series.

Founded in 1984 by university President David Warren, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the series, which aims to weld liberal arts learning with community involvement by actively engaging students in issues of national and international concern.  Ellen Arnold, Ph.D., assistant professor of history, has chosen this year’s colloquium theme of H2OWU: Water in Our World, in which students will explore water from various perspectives and disciplines.

“It promises to be an exciting and engaging semester,” Arnold said.

“(And) a clear reminder of the values and virtues of the kind of broad, interdisciplinary, and engaged educational experience that Ohio Wesleyan prides itself in.”

Hohn’s presentation focused on the recurring theme of  “the limitations of the human eyeball as an instrument of revelation” within his non-fiction, national bestseller “Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea and of the Beachcombers, Oceanographers, Environmentalists, and Fools, Including the Author, Who Went in Search of Them.”

In his book, Hohn said, “It wasn’t that I wanted, like Cook and Amundsen and Vancouver and Bering and all those other dead explorers, to turn terra incognita into terra cognita, the world into a map.

“Quite the opposite. I wanted to turn a map into a world.”In a region known as the Graveyard of the Pacific, on Jan. 10, 1992, an entire shipment of 28,800 bathtub toys—including 7,200 rubber ducks—was released into the ocean as a result of tempestuous weather conditions; and, overtime, the toys drifted in many directions, washing onto shorelines all over the world.

Hohn, who was an English teacher at the time, first learned about this occurrence from a student’s paper.  Contacting Curtis Ebbesmeyer, who published the story in The Beachcomber Alert!, Hohn soon found himself embarking on a journey, where he, alongside oceanographers and environmentalists, would retrace paths of the lost bath toys, tour the Chinese factory in which they were made, and search for those that had yet to be found.

“The challenge that I set for myself and what I look for,” Hohn said, “is a way to tell a story that avoids simplistic debunking or simplistic sensationalism.”

Claiming that much of what we see is through the lens of another’s camera, Hohn explains the biases often found in photographs of nature, and, more generally speaking, in environmental journalism.

“It is the norm,” Hohn said, “that seeing is synonymous with knowing, but photographs can be deceiving. Our eyes aren’t enough. We need to read the natural world as well as see it.”

Hohn’s assessment of photography particularly sparked the interest of  sophomore Cindy Hastings, who, following the lecture, was one of many students and faculty members waiting in line to speak with Hohn.

“It’s really interesting how photographs often separate the truth from the context surrounding them,” Hastings said, “and then separates the portrayed reality from the actual reality.”

In a later interview, Hohn credits American writer Annie Dillard for inspiring him to explore the relationship between sight and knowledge and its complexities through her essay Seeing, which begins with an anecdote: Dillard recounts hiding pennies—as a small child—for strangers, evolving into a metaphor for the act of “seeing.”

“There lots of things to see,” Dillard wrote, “unwrapped gifts and free surprises, if only we care to find them.”