Police investigate assault at Chi Phi

 

Senior Anthony Peddle was stabbed at the Chi Phi fraternity house early Saturday morning.
Senior Anthony Peddle was stabbed at the Chi Phi fraternity house early Saturday morning.

By Spenser Hickey

Managing Editor

Ohio Wesleyan senior Anthony Peddle, class president, is recovering after being stabbed Saturday in his fraternity house by an unknown assailant.

A Delaware Police Department report made available to Transcript staff Sunday at 10:54 a.m. describes the attack as “felonious assault” and lists no information on potential suspects.

Capt. Adam Moore of the Delaware Police Department said Monday morning that detectives continue to work the case.

“(They) have spoken with several witnesses,” he said in an email. “We have also talked with a ‘person of interest’ but there have been no charges filed or arrest made. Some evidence has been collected that will require additional testing.”

The incident occurred at 3:36 a.m. Saturday, May 3, according to an advisory sent out to students at 6:15 a.m. by the university’s Public Safety.

Following the incident, Peddle was transported from the fraternity – Chi Phi, at 216 North Franklin Street – to Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center for treatment.

“Witnesses report seeing a male suspect in either a blue or green hoodie who fled on foot,” the advisory said.

“There is no sign of a forced entry. No one else was injured, and no additional details are available at this time.”

The advisory did not identify the student who was stabbed, but at 5:02 p.m. Ohio Wesleyan’s President Rock Jones did in a email to the community.

Jones’ update said Peddle was “in good spirits” and had undergone surgery for injuries to his hand. He also said the university had been assisted by the Delaware City Police Department, who secured the house following the attack.

The members of Chi Phi were also supported by OWU staff from Student Affairs, Residential Life, Public Safety and the Chaplain’s Office following the incident.

“The health and safety of our students is of vital importance,” Jones said, informing students that Counseling Services and the Chaplain’s Office would be open to students on Sunday.

“Incidents such as this are rare, and they impact us deeply when they occur,” Jones said at the end of his message.

“They make us especially thankful for each other and the supportive Delaware community. We will continue to remain in close contact with Anthony and his family to help with whatever needs arise.”

This post was updated at 10:44 a.m. Monday May 5 to include comment from Capt. Adam Moore.

The Invisible Safety Net

How the Delaware community supports its rape survivors

By Spenser Hickey
Managing Editor

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Delaware Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation statistics show that over half the violent crimes reported in Delaware from 2000 to 2012 were rape.

According to criminologist John Durst, Ph.D., this should be a startling statistic. But it’s not one that he’s surprised by – he thinks the numbers likely show that Delaware has a higher level of reporting than other areas.

“We tend to get a lot of reports, and I don’t think that’s because there’s more sexual assault going on in Delaware,” said Delaware Police Chief Bruce Pijanowski.

Former Chief Russell Martin, now Delaware County Sheriff, said he wasn’t alarmed by the data.

“I always believe when your community has confidence in your response to sexual assault, more people are going to report,” he said.

“…We felt confident that people were reporting because they trusted their local police.”

FBI statistics show that from 2000 to 2012, Delaware’s forcible rape reports were 3.3 times the national average and 2.7 times the state average per 100,000 residents. Calculating crimes in terms of 100,000 residents eliminates statistical disparity caused by population size, but the classification of “forcible rape” used by the FBI was narrower than that of Delaware police.

“I would be skeptical of a community that said they didn’t have a sexual assault problem because then I would be concerned whether they’re not encouraging people to come forward and report and investigate and prosecute those matters,” Martin said.

Reported violent crimes in Delaware from 2000 to 2012. Statistics from FBI and Delaware Police. Graphic by Spenser Hickey

“Given HelpLine intervention, Wesleyan, (and a) pretty educated populace, you’re going to get more people willing to go through the rape kit, whole nine yards, in terms of assaulted persons,” said Durst, an associate professor of sociology at Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU).

Still, any sexual assault case is a horrible experience, he added.

“Just because we’re doing some sort of numerical, statistical comparing, whatever the comparative situation for Delaware, from a victim’s perspective it’s too many.”

– John Durst, Criminologist

The highest year for rape statistics during the period was 2008, when the 61 reports made up 63.54 percent of all violent crimes in the city. Durst said he was hesitant to draw conclusions from the changes in annual rape statistics, though.

337 other sexual assaults – including gross sexual imposition, sexual imposition, sexual battery, unlawful conduct with a minor and attempted rape – were reported to Delaware Police from 2000 to 2012.

“Approximately one in three women experience sexual assault in their lifetimes, so I would say that we’re not necessarily seeing that more sexual assaults are happening in Delaware, rapes specifically, but again higher reporting, which I would consider a positive attribution of our community,” said Richelle Schrock, Ph.D., director of the women’s and gender studies program at Ohio Wesleyan.

“Higher numbers could indicate that the systems are providing a supportive response to encourage victims to come forward and report these crimes,” said Katie Hanna, Executive Director of the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence.

“By creating a culture that believes survivors and promoting a system that holds offenders accountable, we may see more survivors coming forward to report.”

The Reporting Process

“Most sexual assaults are perpetrated by someone known to the victim,” Hanna said. “Whether it’s a partner, family member, neighbor or friend, these factors make reporting challenging.”

In Delaware, the police have a long history of working to make the reporting and investigation process as streamlined as possible for to help survivors, according to Chief Pijanowski and former Chief Martin.

Linda Black, Police Chief from 2001-2004, could not be reached for comment.

Creation of the Sexual Assault Response Team, which brings together law enforcement, hospital staff, HelpLine survivor advocates, the County Prosecutor and the current County Department of Job and Family Services, began in 1993 or 1994, according to Martin, then a Detective-Sergeant with the Delaware Police Department.

Hanna praised this type of team structure.

“By working collaboratively with rape crisis centers, law enforcement, prosecutors and child advocacy centers, we can support survivors on their path to healing.”

– Katie Hanna, Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence

“I think that (team) began handling those cases even in a more thorough, sensitive way than they’d been done prior to that,” Martin said.

Pijanowski said that the streamlined system makes it easier for survivors to share their experience and lessen the impact it has.

“Going through the criminal justice system…they just keep reliving it,” he said. Before, the responding officer would take a statement, detectives would ask more detailed questions, as would hospital staff, and then prosecutors would run through questions before the trial.

“There were so many times it was coming up,” Pijanowski said.

When reports are made, Pijanowski said detectives must balance the needs of the survivor and ensuring public safety – a “thin line.”

Violent crime and rape reports in Delaware from 2000 to 2012. Statistics from Delaware Police and FBI; Graphic by Spenser Hickey
Violent crime and rape reports in Delaware from 2000 to 2012. Statistics from Delaware Police and FBI; Graphic by Spenser Hickey

“When you have a sexual assault, you have a survivor of sexual assault who has been victimized in ways that you and I have no comprehension.”

– Bruce Pijanowski, Delaware Police Chief

However in the event of a perpetrator who posed an ongoing threat to the general public’s safety, having the existing support coalition is very beneficial.

“The last thing we want to do is have a survivor come into us and say this happened, I don’t want to prosecute, I don’t want to do anything and we say ‘Well it’s too bad, we’re going to do it,’” he said.

Martin said that the coalition system establishes community trust which leads to more reports due to discussions among survivors.

In one instance, a child survivor described her positive experience working with the police to a friend, who then disclosed that she too had been sexually assaulted, according to Martin.

“You might get an increase in reports but a lot of times we feel that’s because we’ve established a good reputation with the community,” he said.

When reports are made involving child survivors of sexual abuse, detectives have to be very careful, according to Pijanowski.

“(Children) think differently and you have to be really really careful not to plant an idea in their mind, not to lead them or suggest an answer in your question,” he said.

When interviewing children on the exact details of an assault, detectives have to know what the children mean and be sure they know, he said, and so receive specific training to investigate such cases.

When children become involved in the court system as a victim of abuse, neglect or dependency they often receive assistance from Delaware County’s Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA.)

CASA Coordinator Anne Konarski is also involved in the county-level effort to combat sexual assault.

“We work with all abuse, neglect and dependency cases that come from Delaware County Juvenile Court so we’ll take any sex abuse case that happens, it doesn’t matter if it’s interfamily or not,” Konarski said.

“…It’s just more likely for us to get a case with someone that the person knows because that’s more likely to happen.”

CASA volunteers work to guide children through the civil court process and ensure their basic needs are being met. For sexual assault survivors, this includes ensuring they receive therapy to cope with the trauma.

A “fantastic resource” in knowing how to help a child is the Child Assessment Center in Columbus, Konarski said.

There, children are interviewed by a trained forensic interviewer while a prosecutor and police officer watch from another room so the survivor doesn’t have to repeat the process. They also conduct a complete social-medical history and doctor’s exam to determine the extent of the abuse.

“They do a great evaluation and then we get copies of it (to use in our role as legal advocates),” Konarski said.

Holding the Line

Ohio Wesleyan Professor Richelle Schrock listed the presence of HelpLine of Delaware and Morrow Counties in the center of the city as a resource that increases reporting. HelpLine provides crisis support and referral services and is a rape crisis center, offering services to sexual assault survivors through the Sexual Assault Response Network (SARN).

“Most people know HelpLine from our 24/7 crisis line,” said Nancy Radcliffe, Director of Sexual Assault Services at Delaware HelpLine.

HelpLine supports survivors through the crisis line, providing advocates to those who have reported a sexual assault at an emergency room or police station, holding support groups and retreats and offering information and prevention services.

“Our SARN program really does a wide range of things, and it just kind of depends on where someone is, what kind of help they might want.”

– Nancy Radcliffe, HelpLine of Delaware and Morrow Counties

SARN and HelpLine, as non-profits, rely on grants and donations for funding. One of their donors is Ohio Wesleyan participants in the V-Day movement to end violence against women and girls.

V-Day OWU activists take donations during on-campus performances of Eve Ensler’s “The Vagina Monologues” and donated between $800 and $900 in the past two years, according to co-director Claire Hackett, an OWU student in the class of 2014.

“Although we can promote awareness about sexual assault we are not a resource for survivors and I think raising money is important,” Hackett said.

Radcliffe too agrees that the statistics likely show more reporting occurs in Delaware.

“I think Delaware County has… a team of first responders that work more closely together than in some of the bigger counties,” said Radcliffe, who previously worked in Franklin County and at Ohio State University.

“…Here in Delaware, I would anticipate there would be a higher incidence of people reporting.”

The first responders she referenced include SARN’s survivor advocates, city police and county sheriff’s deputies.

She acknowledged, though, that while those who experience sexual assaults may be more likely to learn of and use services available, general public awareness could be improved.

“I think the support services that exist form a pretty invisible safety net for people, I don’t know that people know that there’s all the great people who can help here out in Delaware,” she said.

Radcliffe also listed several misconceptions about rape and sexual assault that she sees in American society and works to combat in Delaware.

One way HelpLine’s staff works to increase education on and prevent sexual assault is through grant-funded programs in area schools, ranging from preschool to high school to Ohio Wesleyan University, whose students also receive education from Delaware Police through programs started by Police Captain Adam Moore and Public Safety Director Robert Wood.

HelpLine’s programs address violence in general but also include specific focuses on sexual violence.

“What we’ve learned about violence prevention is we need to be talking to everybody,” Radcliffe said.

“We need to be talking to potential perpetrators for sure but also people who witness stuff going on and people who experience it. So we have programs in the elementary school, but we really get into sexual violence prevention more specifically in middle and high schools.”

State-wide activist Katie Hanna mentioned HelpLine’s program specifically, saying it “equips youth with skills to develop healthy relationships, and to stop all forms of sexual violence before they happen, including being an active bystander that interrupts unhealthy behaviors.”

She also said that parents have a role in preventing sexual assault through education.

“Parents should have conversations with their children and teens about healthy relationships, boundaries and consent,” she said.

Their programs on sexual violence don’t make any assumptions regarding possible sexual activity on the part of the students, according to Radcliffe.

“Our goal is not to do sex education but to let people know that any time, this may be on the table, people may be in a situation (involving sexual assault), these are the things you need to know,” she said.

“This is what consent is, this is what coercion is.”

The programs emphasize that consent cannot be given if a person is intoxicated and challenge “rape-supportive ideas”, Radcliffe said.

They also challenge the misperception that survivors are more likely to be assaulted by someone they know than a stranger – the Department of Justice’s 2005 National Crime Victimization Study found that in 73 percent of reported rapes the survivor knew the perpetrator.

“We’re just given messages about the prevention of stranger attacks, so it kind of leaves people unprepared for when it’s someone they know who takes advantage of a situation,” Radcliffe said.

“…A lot of times (people) only think about (sexual assault) as being something that involves a great deal of physical force, so we try to help people understand what it is and once people understand what it is then some good conversations happen.”

Radcliffe added that any form of sexual assault, not just rape, can be incredibly traumatic for the survivor, and how the assault affects them depends on “the individual and their situation.”

“Whether it’s gross sexual imposition, a sexual battery or rape, voyeurism, (it) can be devastating – any of the sex offenses that you look at, the 2907s (Section of sex offenses in the Ohio Revised Code,) for the individual it’s the specific circumstances that seem to resonate with them,” she said.

“…Just because the criminal justice system might charge something as a misdemeanor, it doesn’t mean it hasn’t profoundly affected the person who experienced it.”

Sexual assaults reported in Delaware from 2000 to 2012, by criminal classification. Statistics from Delaware Police; Graphic by Spenser Hickey
Sexual assaults reported in Delaware from 2000 to 2012, by criminal classification. Statistics from Delaware Police; Graphic by Spenser Hickey

 

56.4 Percent

Another area SARN focuses awareness and prevention efforts on is child sexual abuse, through programs such as Stewards of Children, which trains adults to prevent, recognize and react.

“Adults have more power to interrupt something, and so we try to make sure people have better information than just ‘stranger danger,’” Radcliffe said.

From 2000 to 2008, 56.4 percent of sexual assault survivors in rapes reported to DPD were under 18 on the day the report was made, excluding 21 reports that did not list the survivor’s date of birth.

In Ohio, according to Katie Hanna, more than 60 percent of rape reports involve children and juveniles. Nationally, according to statistics provided by the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), 44 percent of rape and sexual assault survivors are under 18 and 15 percent are under 12.

In Delaware from 2000 to 2008, 56.4 percent of rape survivors were under 18, as noted, and 28 percent were under 12. The 2010 US Census reported that 23.7 percent of Delaware’s population were minors.

The highest percentage of reporting survivors under 18 during that period was in 2007, when 72.6 percent of those raped were children. There were more rapes of children than any other FBI-defined violent crime that year.

“If that doesn’t make you stop and think ‘What the heck,’ what does?”

– Radcliffe, on statistics on child sexual assault and rape.

HelpLine and SARN work more closely with adult survivors of child sexual assault, she said, and often refer children and their parents or guardians to specialists in Delaware and Franklin County.

“I think our strongest suit is that we’re connected to a lot of people who can help, so it just kind of depends on what the individual wants to do,” Radcliffe said.

Sexual assault survivors in Delaware from 2000 to 2008 - ages are from when report was made, not when assault occurred. Statistics from Delaware Police; Graphic by Spenser Hickey.
Sexual assault survivors in Delaware from 2000 to 2008 by age group. Ages are from when report was made, not when assault occurred. Statistics from Delaware Police; Graphic by Spenser Hickey.

For Hackett, a representative of the V-Day movement to end violence against both women and girls, violence against children is an issue that needs more attention.

“I don’t think when we think of sexual assault we think of children, because that would be even more horrifying,” she said.

“…I think it happens a lot more often than people think and it’s almost like we categorize it into something else, like, ‘Oh, that’s sexual abuse or that’s an abusive family or we say the government will take care of that, will remove the child from that. But it’s so hidden and it’s not talked about.”

She did see it as gaining more attention due to performances such as “The Vagina Monologues” – a series of readings by activist Eve Ensler, founder of the V-Day movement – or “Butterfly Confessions,” a similar piece by Yetta Young that addresses experiences of African-American women.

“People are finally coming out and opening these wounds that they’ve had,” Hackett said.

When children do disclose that they have been or are being assaulted, it’s imperative that they be believed, as should all sexual assault survivors, according to Hanna.

“Children are often threatened by these ‘trusted’ adults to keep secrets,” she said.

“Survivors need to hear that it’s not their fault and they are not to blame for what happened to them, at any age.”

– Katie Hanna, Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence

 

Sexual assault survivors in Delaware from 2000 to 2008 - ages are from when report was made, not when assault occurred. Statistics from Delaware Police; Graphic by Spenser Hickey.
Sexual assault survivors in Delaware from 2000 to 2008 by year. Ages are from when report was made, not when assault occurred. Statistics from Delaware Police; Graphic by Spenser Hickey.

Related – Catching up: Sex crime reporting in Delaware and at Ohio Wesleyan

Global Grab: Abbas Un-Denies Holocaust, Progress in Syria and Two New Saints

The Issue: Mahmoud Abbas

The Palestinian president has changed his tune on the Holocaust. Abbas called the Holocaust “the most heinous crime to have occurred against humanity in the modern era,” according to the New York Times.

The timing of this announcement comes before Israel’s annual memorial for victims of the genocide. It also comes at a time during the United States-backed peace processes in Israel. Abbas was also known as a Holocaust denier. According to the New York Times, “…he challenged the number of Jewish victims and argued that Zionists had collaborated with Nazis to propel more people to what would become Israel” in his 1983 doctoral dissertation. The AP says “Israelis frequently claim the Palestinians are not sincere about wanting peace.”

These comments come when Abbas’s political party, the Fatah group, and its rival Hamas are trying to broker a deal to form a new unity government, said the BBC. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not a fan of the comments. “President Abbas can’t have it both ways,” he told CNN. “He can’t say the Holocaust was terrible, but at the same time embrace those who deny the Holocaust and seek to perpetrate another destruction of the Jewish people.”

The Issue: Syria

Though other news headlines capture attention, the three-year long Syrian civil war is still going on, and people there are working toward progress.

The United Nations set a June 30 as a deadline for the total destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons. However, the Syrian government wanted to remove its 1,300 tons of chemical substances by April 27. Al Jazeera reports 92 percent of the arsenal has been shipped out of the country or destroyed.

According to the BBC, most of Syria’s chemical weapons substances exist as separate materials, and become toxic once they are mixed together.

“If Syria completes the process, it would be regarded as a critical step toward demonstrating its commitment to eradicating its entire chemical weapons program by the end of June…” wrote the New York Times.

The Issue: Sainthood for Two Popes

In an historic event, Pope Francis elevated his predecessors John XXIII and John Paul II to sainthood. According to the New York Times, this is the first time two popes have been canonized at once.

The event garnered large crowds in Rome. The Vatican estimated about 800,000 people went to Rome to see the event first hand, according to the BBC. Joining the festivities was former Pope Benedict XVI, the first pope to resign in over 600 years. He stepped down last year due to health reasons.

According to Al Jazeera, John XXIII was pope from 1958 to 1963. John Paul II was pope for almost 27 years, from 1978 to 2005.

Google Glass comes to campus

Senior Karli Amstadt models Google Glass while on a mission trip to South Dakota over spring break. Photo by Noah Manskar
Senior Karli Amstadt models Google Glass while on a mission trip to South Dakota over spring break. Photo by Noah Manskar

By Brian Williams and Brianna Velliquette
Transcript Reporter and Transcript Correspondent

Project Glass, Google’s newest venture in wearable technology, has come to Ohio Wesleyan.

Information Services has purchased a pair of Google Glass, and is looking forward to discovering how it can best be used on campus.

Google Glass, known simply as Glass, is a new product still in the phase of beta testing.

The company has launched an “Explorer Program” and if successful, hopes to release Glass to the general public.

Glass is a pair of glasses frames. On the right side is where the technology lies, with a small camera and heads up display (HUD), which can be seen by glancing up and to the right.

Once activated by the voice command “Okay glass” or by tapping the side, any of Glass’s functions are made available.

Users can do things such as take a picture, find directions, send a message, or browse the web.

Each function appears as an app, much like a Smartphone, and developers are constantly adding more apps that can be used with Glass.

Glass has Bluetooth connectivity, which allows one to pair with a Smartphone’s contacts for calls, messages, and data for on-the-go Glass experience.

“This is a completely new form factor, I think that we have a great opportunity for experimenting with ways OWU can benefit from it,” sophomore Matt McCord said.

Beta testing of the product has allowed Google to work out the early bugs from this new technology, as well as welcome the creativity of others in finding applications for its use.

McCord, an employee of IS and member of the campus technology council, touched on the current exclusivity of Glass ownership.

“It isn’t something that, if lost or broken, we can just get a new one,” he said.

“The university had to pay over $1,000 to own it and the application process wasn’t simple. We truly have our hands on a rare piece of forward thinking technology, and personally I’m excited to get my hands on them.”

IS has already come up with ways in which we can use Glass, and is welcoming the entire OWU community in sharing their ideas.

“A professor can film an experiment using Glass and give the first person perspective on exactly what to do,” instructional technologist David Soliday said.

“Or our externship and travel-learning course students can share what they are doing, while leaving them completely hands free. Down the line, tours can be filmed, both for those who can’t visit in person, but also to enhance the experience of visitors on campus through this overlapping augmented reality. The possibilities are limitless, which is the most exciting part.”

So far, not too many people have been able to check them out, as the product is still new to campus. Soliday cited an increase of awareness as one of the first steps to getting the most out of Glass.

“I was able to take Glass to WCSA’s full body meeting and loved sharing my experience to help build interest,” Dean of Students, Kimberlie Goldsberry said. The dean gave positive reviews about her Glass experience, saying there was a sense of energetic surprise and curiosity received by those around her.

“Training took only about a half hour and hearing the possibilities for use that students immediately came up with was really encouraging,” she said.

Soliday also pointed out that there still are some bugs Google is working to fix. Connecting to wifi networks with an extra authentication via website such as BishopNet is currently not supported, so in order to surf the web you must be tethered to a Smartphone’s data connection.

According to Google’s support page, they are working on fixing issues such as this and are releasing new software to improve the user experience.

“You can get a bit cross eyed after wearing them for too long, and they don’t easily fit over another pair of glasses.” Goldsberry said.

According to Soliday, Google is working to pair with optometrists to make prescription lenses, which will hopefully alleviate that concern.

Since they are so new, McCord keyed in on the fact that everyone is still learning.

“From the multi-tasker who can have an easier time doing research, to someone wanting easy to follow directions and so on, it is the unknown potential of this new form that makes Glass exciting,” he said.

Glass isn’t all glory, however, and has raised concerns about the fit of the glasses as well as inspired discussions about privacy.

Librarian Ben Daigle said when he put the glasses on, he had trouble using them as actual glasses.

“If I’m looking at a sign 30 feet away, I can’t read it without my glasses,” he said. “The image in the machine is blurry just as something would be at a distance. But it wasn’t terribly difficult to figure out.”

Brian Rellinger, Information Services’ chief information officer, explained that Glass inherently raises privacy issues.

“When we first got them, some people react as if it’s an invasion of privacy immediately,” Rellinger said.

Soliday gave more perspective on the concern, explaining that because Glass is so subtle, it makes it difficult for people to realize they are being recorded.

“Glass has no ‘On Air’ light,” Soliday said. “People like to know when they’re being recorded.”

As the technology is still in the beta phases, Google is willing to come up with solutions to problems beta users come across.

Despite the negatives, Rellinger said Google Glass has been received more positively on campus than initially thought.

“When we’re walking around using them, students approach us and say ‘Oh that’s cool, can I try them on? Can I see how that works?’” Rellinger said.

Young Americans and the Affordable Care Act

Image: cohemo.org
Image: cohemo.org

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is changing the lives of millions of uninsured Americans by offering low-cost health care. Young adults in particular will benefit from the changes made by the ACA.

Young adults can now stay on their parents’ insurance until they’re 26-years-old. This is probably the biggest change in health care policy that will effect the younger population.

Prior to the enactment of the ACA, insurers could remove dependent adult children from their parents’ plan because of age, regardless if they were still in school or not, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Additionally, adult children who graduated from high school or college and who had not found a job were also left without insurance.

Gene King, the director of the Ohio Poverty Law Center, said this could cripple a young adult going into their post-graduation life.

He said he had to buy health insurance for his daughter after she graduated from college. He said it was expensive but manageable for his family’s budget.

“For many people, that would have been a problem,” he said.

“They couldn’t have bought insurance and that college graduate, who had done everything right: gone to school, finished college, headed out in the world, would have a gap in insurance. And that could have set up all sorts of horrible situations with pre-existing conditions and with substantial debt.”

The ACA has also put an end to lifetime caps and denial of coverage because of pre-existing conditions.

This is especially good news for young adults, who may have previously had trouble finding insurance after leaving their parents’ plans.

Young adults do not have to stay on their parents’ plans if their employer has better benefits or if they want to enroll in coverage through a health insurance Marketplace.

A Marketplace is a site where eligible citizens can enroll in health insurance through the federal (healthcare.gov) or a state partnership website.

The expansion of Medicaid in Ohio will also have an impact on young adults without parental insurance.

The expansion now covers anyone with an income that is 138% of the federal poverty level (about $15,000 a year).

A younger demographic enrolling in healthcare through the ACA could also help offset insurance costs.

Kathleen Gmeiner, project director for Ohio Consumers for Health Coverage at the Universal Health Care Action Network, said young adults were specifically targeted in enrollment campaigns.

“A lot of the effort has been to get young adults enrolled because they do bring to the Marketplace a younger, healthier demographic that helps the spreading of risk in the insurance plans,” Gmeiner said.

Despite these steps forward, Randolph Quaye, the director of Black World Studies at OWU and an expert in the sociology of health and illness, said the ACA is just the beginning of healthcare reform.

“It’s a first step,” he said.

“Obviously, the broader goal of addressing our health care concerns is really addressing the inequality of our healthcare delivery systems. We need to find a away of training more doctors. We also need to create an environment where people take responsibility for their health, so more preventative measures. That, I think, is part of the ACA.”

Young adults are, however, not exempt from the fee for not enrolling in coverage. The ACA required every adult to enroll in health insurance by March 31.

Any young adult who does not fall into an exemption will have to pay $95 or 1 percent of his or her income, whichever is higher.

Exemptions can be made, which range from not being able to pay the lowest-cost coverage to religious objections to incarceration.

Department of Humanities-Classics to split

At the faculty staff meeting on Monday, April 21, 66 faculty members voted in favor of a Humanities-Classics department split and 12 voted against it. Graphic by Sarah Thomas
At the faculty staff meeting on Monday, April 21, 66 faculty members voted in favor of a Humanities-Classics department split and 12 voted against it. Graphic by Sarah Thomas

The divorce is finalized: the Department of Humanities-Classics has split into two separate disciplines, after a faculty vote during the faculty meeting on April 21.

The reason for the split was that “there was little intellectual content holding Humanities and Classics together,” according to the resolution in the agenda for the faculty meeting.

This structure would “ensure adequate curricular support for Classics in particular,” it added.

The Department of Humanities also received a new name.

It is now the Department of Comparative Literature. Classics is not its own department, but rather is the Program in Classics.

“We think that the split and also renaming the Humanities side of the department to Comparative Literature is in the best interest of our students both on the Humanities and Classics sides,” Anne Sokolsky, professor and head of the former Humanities department, said.

“Renaming “Humanities” to Department of Comparative Literature best describes what we do in our classes and what we do in our scholarship.”

The difference between a Program and a Department is that a Program is run by an advisory board, while a Department is run by the faculty within it.

Classics will not be an interdisciplinary program – the only faculty member will be Lee Fratantuono, associate professor of Classics.

“This vote for Classics independence is a wonderful show of support for Classics,” Fratantuono said.

“It would not have been possible without the much appreciated work of the Academic Policy Committee and the provost, Dr. Stinemetz.”

Sokolsky said that next year they will try to get the requirements changed for the major to incorporate more foreign language and translation theory to adequately reflect the title of Comparative Literature.

Professor honored for work about health law

Professor Randolph Quaye, the director of the Black World Studies department. He was recently recognized for his work in research on the Affordable Care Act. Photo from Connect2OWU
Professor Randolph Quaye, the director of the Black World Studies department. He was recently recognized for his work in research on the Affordable Care Act. Photo from Connect2OWU

Randolph Quaye, the director of Black World Studies department at Ohio Wesleyan, was recently recognized for his research with the Affordable Care Act and his work as a reviewer for academic journals.

“We see a gap when we look at our health care system,” Quaye said.

“We do have 15 percent of our population that are under insured, and based upon my own research I do feel like something has to be done to fill the gap.”

Quaye began his research last year. When the proposal for the Affordable Care Act was initially made, Quaye said he thought it was something that would “not necessarily solve the problem” but open up new roads in expanding health care for those who are currently uninsured.

Quaye’s research had two main goals. First, he wanted to gather information from physicians.

“In order for the system to work, you need to know where physicians stand in relation to the Affordable Care Act,” he said.

He developed a survey and reached out to approximately 90 different physicians across Ohio, including the Columbus, Akron, Wooster and Cleveland areas.

Quaye said he had published a research on manage care involving Ohio physicians almost four years ago and wanted to see “what has changed” since then.

Additionally, he said he wanted to get a broader sense from physicians about whether in fact they have any view point on the Affordable Care Act.

He said one of his first questions to the physicians was to tell him something about the act.

“More often than not people use the word ‘Obama care’ and there seems to be some misunderstanding on whether Obama care is something different from the Affordable Care Act,” Quaye said.

He wanted to see how knowledgeable people are about the specific provisions under the Affordable Care Act.

He also wanted to know what the physicians thought would be the impact of the act on their medical practice.

Results of the Research

“What I got from my analysis is that for primary physicians, they were really in favor of the Affordable Care Act because it allows them to increase their fees and because they will be in a position to put a lot of emphasis on preventative medicine, that seemed to go well for their profession,” Quaye said.

“Specialists were not so enthusiastic,” he said.

“Some of them felt it would erode their income, it would erode their professional autonomy because they would have to deal with a whole series of bureaucratic structures, so most of them were not really enthusiastic about it.”

Quaye also said some of the physicians mentioned that this is a “very massive under taking that the government is engaged in,” and the government has to ensure that there are enough doctors.

“If we expand in medicaid, which is really what the program is doing for those who are uninsured, the problem is, have we trained enough doctors to handle the volume that the Affordable Care Act is designed to provide,” he said.

Quaye said he would have liked to have a larger sample size for his research.

Further, because he conducted his research during the summer, a large number of doctors were on vacation, and he didn’t get as many responses as he might have in January or February.

“I also wanted to do something before the second elections so I was trying to get a sense of what people were saying about the Affordable Care Act,” he said.

Quaye has been awarded the Outstanding Reviewer for Leadership in Health Services as a part of the Emerald Literati Network award for excellence. He won the same award two years ago.

He said his work as a reviewer involves reviewing articles for several journals—mostly in the health field—and for the past 2 years he has reviewed more than 20.

“Currently have I have two articles and what I do is read, make comments on research objectives, look at literature review, the methods that have been employed and the analysis and conclusion,” he said.

Quaye then makes recommendations about whether each article should be published or needs some kind of revision.

He sends his comments to the editor and they get in touch with authors and then they revise it.

Some of the articles are then sent back to him and he then determines if the articles are ready for publication.

“I tend to be very thorough in my review and I think they liked that,” he said.

Future Plans

Quaye said he has received a grant from OWU for another research in the upcoming summer.

He will be traveling to Sweden, Denmark and Norway to look at the changing status of medical profession in those three countries.

“I have a passion for addressing the broader issue of health whether in this country, Africa or Europe I’ve always been interested in knowing about what is happing in the health arena, lets say, global health in general,” he said.

Quaye said he is also interested in having a Sagan National Colloquium “devoted on global health challenges so it’s an opportunity to bring in experts from different disciplines to look at health from a global perspective.”

“I like doing research and also I do teach an honors course on medical profession here,” he said.

“So it’s always good to update myself and see what is new in the area of health.”

VIVA lasers in to mentor youths

According to the 2012 US Census, Delaware County has a Hispanic and Latino population of 4,167, and OWU’s VIVA organization is working to engage them.

Latino and Latin American Space for Enrichment and Research (LASER) was started in 2009 by Dr. Frederick Aldama, professor of English and Director of Latin American studies at Ohio State University.

This program matches high school students from the Columbus area with OSU students in the hopes of helping Latino and Latina students transition from high school and into college.

LASER has officially founded a chapter at Ohio Wesleyan this spring, with the help of VIVA, the Latin American club on campus.

During Aldama’s visit to OWU last year, VIVA decided to bring LASER closer to home and they have been working since the fall to get the program up and running.

Freshman Joycelyn Munoz is the only current mentor with a mentee in the program.

Seniors Hazel Barrera and Peter Reveles have been serving as ambassadors for the program this semester by reaching out to high school students, as well as keeping in touch with mentors.

“For a while now, I had been thinking about how to get ¡VIVA! Latinoamerica more involved in community service besides translating at Parent/Teacher Conferences at Woodward Elementary School and Willis Intermediate School,” Barrera said.

“When we heard about LASER at OSU from a speaker we brought in to present on Latinos in the media, we decided to take the opportunity to start a mentoring program for Latino students.”

Barrera said the students meet twice a week at OWU, “in order to get a sense of the college life.”

They work together for two hours during which the mentor helps the student with homework, FAFSA, college applications “and many other different needs that the student may have.”

According to Barrera, some of the challenges for this new program include trying to find transportation and a suitable time to meet with the administration at Hayes High School.

Additionally, she said finding mentees for the current mentors in the program has also turned out to be a challenge.

Freshman Micheal Mora Brenes will be the ambassador for the LASER/VIVA program next year and should be contacted if anyone is interested in being a part of the program.

“We (VIVA) hope to have more high school students interested, and have a bigger program by next fall,” Barrera said.

“While we look forward to a professional life after graduation in May, we wish to leave this as part of our legacy.”

Theta teams up to raise alcohol awareness

Sophomore Brittany Spicer attempts to limbo wearing drunk goggles while juniors Jessica Scherry (left) and Lauren Rump hold the stick. Photo by jane Suttmeier
Sophomore Brittany Spicer attempts to limbo wearing drunk goggles while juniors Jessica Scherry (left) and Lauren Rump hold the stick. Photo by jane Suttmeier

By Megan Dill and Marta Del Cid
Transcript Reporter and Transcript Correspondent

1,825 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related unintentional injuries, a statistic recorded by The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

“More than 150,000 students develop an alcohol-related health problem,” according to statistics provided by the National Institute of Health.

“…Between 1.2 and 1.5 percent of students indicate that they tried to commit suicide within the past year due to drinking or drug use,”

April is recognized as Alcohol Awareness Month, and this year Ohio Wesleyan University’s Kappa Alpha Theta (Theta) devoted a week to bringing awareness to the prevalent misuse of alcohol on college campuses.

“We know by being a Greek organization there are a lot of negative stereotypes about drinking,” said junior Jordan Bernstein, president of Theta.

“We wanted to show that alcohol is not needed to have fun, which is why we kicked off the week with a ‘dry’ formal.”

Theta partnered with three different organizations on campus: Kappa Kappa Gamma, the women’s rugby team, and Delta Zeta.

All of the events took place during the noon hour.

Junior Jennifer Lloyd, a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma (Kappa), said she believes alcohol awareness week was a great idea and felt it was an issue that needed to be addressed on campus.

“Alcohol misuse is prevalent on this campus, as on most campuses, so it is important to be aware,” she said.

“Also, I really liked that Theta partnered with many other campus organizations to put on events this week.”

Activities involved giving cookies with alcohol-related facts, education on Kappa’s Kidney camp, drunk goggles, Jeopardy with the women’s rugby team and a banner pledging to make good choices, co-sponsored by Delta Zeta.

Kappa’s annual philanthropy event supports Kappa Kidney camp and, since kidney failure can be caused by alcohol abuse, they considered it appropriate to partner with Theta.

The Rugby team intended to show that the members of the team want their peers to be safe around alcohol.

Delta Zeta collaborated with Theta because their sorority takes a stance against alcohol misuse nationally.

Bernstein said the pledge signing was her favorite activity.

“It was really great to see so many different people come up and take the pledge,” she said.

“We had a lot of fun putting on the events each day and they all went smoothly,” Bernstein added.

“I believe that sometimes people forget the risks and if our event can make one person pause before they make that not so safe decision, then we were successful.”

Lloyd said she believes this event should be continued, as long as alcohol misuse persists as an issue on campus.

Global Grab: A Sunken Ferry and intensified Ukrainian conflict

The Issue: South Korean Ferry

What was supposed to be a fun trip for high school students in South Korea turned tragic when the ferry they were on sank.

There were 476 people on board, including 339 children and teachers from the school, according to BBC.

The current death toll is 64, with 238 people still missing, most of them students. According to Al Jazeera, two United States underwater drones have been deployed to search for the bodies.

The captain of the ferry is being accused of abandoning the ferry while the passengers were trapped onboard. According to Al Jazeera, the captain and two other crewmembers were arrested on negligence charges.

This is considered one of South Korea’s worst maritime disasters.

The Issue: Ukraine

Ukraine has been getting worse. One issue that grabbed major headlines was the leaflet supposedly released in eastern Ukraine that told Jews to register with the pro-Russian militants.

In an address to reporters in Geneva, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry spoke out against these fliers.

“In the year 2014, after al of the miles traveled and all of the journey of history, this is not just intolerable, it’s grotesque,” he said.

“It’s beyond unacceptable.”

However, Time Magazine said “the flier was more likely part of an ill-conceived extortion plot or a propaganda ploy against the separatists.”

Also in the Ukraine, a mystery has been solved.

For a few weeks, well-armed, professional gunmen have seized Ukrainian government sites in several towns, according to the New York Times.

Ukrainian officials have put the blame on the Russians, but the Russians have repeatedly denied these accusations.

However, it’s been found that the “green men,” as they are called, are in fact Russian military and intelligence forces.

The Kremlin still maintains that there is no Russian involvement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters Thursday that, “it’s all nonsense.

“There are no Russian units, special services or instructors in the east of Ukraine.”