Category: News

By Breanne Reilly
Transcript Reporter

The building formerly known as Pfeiffer Natatorium will get an extreme makeover thanks to a donation by Lou Simpson, ‘58, and his wife Kimberly Querrey.

The donation will be used to build the Simpson-Querrey Fitness Center, the new Dance Studio, finish renovations of Edwards Gym and renovate offices, classrooms and the studio used by the Health and Human Kinetics  (HHK) department.

In a press release, Jones said Querrey was motivated by the fact that nearly 80 percent of OWU students participate in organized recreational activities, such as intramurals, club sports and varsity athletics.

Jones said it is important to give students a space to develop disciplines that lead to healthy living.

“A fitness center increasingly is a must for college campuses, as prospective students include this in the things they consider when selecting a college,” Jones said.

Sean Kay, professor in the department of politics and government,  said all donations are to be appreciated, valued and celebrated but do not always pay for necessities.

“In my own personal opinion, gifts like this and the one last summer for Merrick Hall, are very welcome and appropriate on their own merits,” Kay said.

“At the same time they are not oriented towards the major needs and priorities of the institution as have been identified in the strategic planning process that I have been engaged in on and off dating back to 2005.”

Kay said he thinks the new Fitness Center, although appreciated, is not a top priority for the university.

He thinks the YMCA in town could be utilized and perhaps negotiated for a low cost for student use.

“So far as I can tell, there seems to be a heavy focus on funding ancillary priorities, but not really focusing on the core foundations of further building Ohio Wesleyan University as the top level liberal arts institution we all know it is, and can even be more so, with a diverse range of endowment investments focused on the long-established academic program,” Kay said.

Kay said he thinks investment should be placed in the liberal arts curriculum, and  in hiring and retaining the “top notch” faculty, the academic program and in developing the highest quality classroom experience that we can give our students.

He said the focus should also be on lowering costs to students.

Jones said the $8 million donation is being used as its donors intended.

“This gift was specifically for the fitness center and the renovation of Edwards Gym,” Jones said.

Jones said the renovations and construction of the facilities will not affect and did not cause an increase in tuition.

“The tuition increase reflects the increasing cost of operating the university, including paying salaries of faculty and staff, addressing increasing energy costs and meeting other needs,” Jones said.

 

Part of a Plan

 

Jones said renovations were approved in 2009, when the Strategic Plan of Ohio Wesleyan called for construction of a Fitness Center on the residential campus.

In 2011, the Board began discussing and reviewing concepts for the Fitness Center, and the idea developed to integrate the Fitness Center with the Dance Studio, Health and Human Kinetics and the restoration of Edwards Gym.

The Board also committed the plan would include the purchase of new equipment for the Belt Fitness Center.

Jones said he does not have a breakdown in regards to how much of the $8 million donation each part of the construction will cost.

He said The Collaborative Inc., located in Toledo, came up with the renovation designs as seen on the OWU website.

TCI is developing a final schedule for the construction and will most likely work on each component of the renovations simultaneously.

All construction on the building will be finished within 15 to 20 months.

Jones said the administration and Board have a commitment to the university’s history by preserving the buildings that will be renovated.

“It also allows us to address needs in the academic department which currently is housed in the poorest conditions for offices and classrooms on campus,” he said. “This is very important for HHK.”

Renovating Pfeiffer, the “Tenement 

Building” 

 

“When it would rain, the ceiling tiles would get saturated and tiles would fall down,” Nancy Knop, a professor in the Health and Human Kinetics department said. “It’s the campus tenement building.”

Pfeffeir Natatorium, which is attached physically to Edwards Hall but cannot be entered through Edwards, houses the HHK offices and classes.

Before Meek was built three years ago, it also housed the campus pool. But the pool is now empty, the ceiling and floors are missing tiles, multiple windows are boarded and broken, the roof leaks and the water, which is a musty yellow, is not usable.

Senior Andrew Diehl, co-chair of the HHK student board said the conditions are a distraction.

He said the conditions are little known on campus because students who don’t take the classes have no reason to go there now that the pool is gone.

“HHK is like the fourth or fifth largest department on campus,” Diehl said. “But it has the worst facility. It’s by far the most neglected building on campus,” he said.

Knop said the building has needed repairs for years and the department has spent ten years trying to get funding from the Board of Trustees. She said initially renovations to the classrooms, offices and workout studio were not a part of the Plan.

“We as an academic program have been ignored for years,” Knop said. “If a student has been paying $50,000 to go to school do you want him sitting in a classroom where the ceiling tiles fall down  and there’s no hot water and where you can’t drink the water in the building and that it’s freezing cold and the windows are broken and  when it rains water comes into it?”

The swimming pool, now located at Meek, was the first to be reconstructed.

Knop said the pool was chosen partially for health reasons.

“I don’t know how well it’s documented but I can assume that most of the swimmers had exercise induced asthma because of the chemicals and lack of ventilation,” Knop said.

Knop said when discussion for renovations started ten years ago, the focus for renovations was on the Dance Studio and the Fitness Center.

“The bringing in of those facilities was a little bit hurtful at first because here we are living in these terrible facilities and conditions and they’re worried about dance, which didn’t even have a program at the time,” she said.

Knop said she is thrilled that the renovations are taking place. When she found out the Dance Studio would be built next to the new Fitness Center, Knop said she was glad that the Dance department gets a new facility but she is not thrilled that it will be located inside of the athletic facility.

“It felt bad to have people looking at a space that we thought could’ve been our space in our building,” she said.

Knop said a new building is needed to improve the appeal of the department and so that the building can be used as an attractive entryway to campus.

“That was kind of the image, the vision, to make something that was more regal, versus something that is just linked to athletics,” she said.

As of right now, Pfeiffer Natatorium is not shown to prospective touring students. Diehl said it might discourage prospective students from taking classes there.

“It’s an eyesore, the university doesn’t advertise it,” Diehl said.

Knop said the department could be asked to move as early as May so the renovations can start next fall. She does not know where the classes will be relocated during construction but hopes the location will allow students to move during lessons.

“We run one to two classes almost every hour so will have to find space to accommodate that,” she said.

 

A Dance Studio with Dancers in Mind

 

Jones said the possibility of a new dance studio being built was discussed more than a decade ago. Jones also said faculty in Theater and Dance department and in Health and Human Kinetics have engaged with architects in planning for this facility.

Rashana Smith, who instructs dance classes in a leased facility on 38 S. Sandusky St. said she and the dance students appreciate the studio but the current space was not built with dancers in mind and she has had to adjust her classes because of it.

“I spend more time on conditioning and stretching to counteract joint strain caused from dancing on a hard, unsprung floor,” she said.

“The newly renovated Simpson Querrey facility would accommodate more jumping and leaping, for example, because the construction of the new floor will address the impact of landings and the physical demands of dance.”

She also said the heating system in the downtown studio has not been able to heat the studio.

“ Several times this semester, we’ve had to find alternate places and creative ways to deal with an extremely cold dance studio,” Smith said.

Smith said she hopes the new dance studio would attract more prospective dance students and likely more dance minors and non-majors.

“Historically, we have students from different academic disciplines participating in classes and performances,” she said.

“I see the new studio bolstering that participation.”

Jones said the Dance Studio will accommodate the theatre and dance program and attract prospective students.

By Caleb Dorfman
Transcript Reporter

Ohio Wesleyan Department of Buildings & Grounds (B&G) has begun renovations on Merrick Hall.

Merrick Hall is the defunct academic building located between University and Phillips Halls.

“The architects are completing the construction documents, which will then be given to the general contractor who will solicit bids from sub contractors,” said President Rock Jones.

“We plan to begin construction no later than June 1.”

Jones added that some preliminary work is happening in the building now, but the true construction period does not begin until June.

“So this is a quiet time in the project while the architects complete their work and the contractors prepare for their work,” Jones said.

Merrick Hall, which has been out of use since the late 1980s, according to an announcement email that Jones sent out over the summer, is being restored thanks to an eight million dollar donation from an anonymous donor.

The Merrick Hall renovations are scheduled to be completed by 2015.

By Breanne Reilly and Noah Manskar
Transcript Reporter and Online Editor

A $10 million fundraising campaign came to a quick end at the Board of Trustees’ winter retreat in Naples, Fla., last weekend.

According to University President Rock Jones, trustees Lou Simpson 58’ and his wife Kimberly Querrey donated $8 million to complete the renovation of Edwards Gymnasium Pfeiffer Natatorium.

Dubbed the Simpson-Querry Fitness Center, the facility will contain a new dance studio, renovation of classrooms and offices and a laboratory for the health and human kinetics department. The donation also funds new equipment for the Belt Fitness Center.

“Our donors expressed particular interest in the fact that this project reflects the integration of body and mind in a commitment to the whole person, and that it benefits academic programs while also providing space promoting health and wellness that is accessible to the entire campus community,” Jones said in the report from the retreat he sent to all Ohio Wesleyan employees.

Jones said Simpson and Querrey are “private people” and declined an interview about the donation.

Tuition Increase, More Renovations to Come

According to Jones’s report, the Board passed a resolution dictating a 3.5-percent increase in tuition and the average board rate. The middle-tier housing fee is set to increase 6.3 percent.

Jones said the Board focused on endowment for student scholarships and financial aid, endowment for faculty support, endowment for the OWU Connection and support for facilities on campus.

Trustee Tim Sloan, CFO of Wells Fargo, said other campus renovations were also on the Board’s agenda.

“The renovation of Merrick Hall, Edwards Gym and a larger fitness center and improving the dorms, student living units and fraternities should all be priorities,” he said.

Jones said the Board directed OWU administrators to bring recommendations for Phase One of the Housing Master Plan—projected to cost $25 million, according to Jones’s report—to their meeting in May. With this plan, the Board hopes to renovate all residence halls and fraternity houses except Smith Hall over the next decade.

Smith Hall and the “aging” SLUs will hopefully be replaced with new facilities. The Board also wants to add new apartment as campus residencies. Jones said he is unsure which project will begin first.

Jones said the Board also hopes to secure resources to make University Hall accessible and to install air conditioning in Gray Chapel to protect the Klais Organ. The enhancement of classrooms and offices used by the modern foreign language department was also discussed.

Faculty Make the Trip

Jones said this was the Board’s first retreat in five years.

“Most boards occasionally hold a retreat at a setting other than their normal meeting place and use the time to think more strategically about the long term,” he said. “Naples was chosen because a large percentage of our trustees spend the winter in Florida.”

Other administrators were also present: provost Chuck Stinemetz; Dan Hitchell, vice president for finance and administration and treasurer; Craig Ullom, vice president for student affairs; Colleen Garland, vice president for university advancement; Dave Wottle, interim vice president for enrollment; Lisa Jackson, assistant to the president; and Emily Roudebush, associate directory of university advancement.

Dale Brugh, Amy Downing, Shala Hankison, Bart Martin, Paula White and Chris Wolverton, all members of faculty committees, represented the OWU faculty. Their collective report, shared with all faculty, said they were involved in all the Board’s discussions at a level “far above the usual,” and that the meeting was “open, discussion-oriented, and inclusive.”

Student Voices Heard

Chief Officer of Communications William Kopp said he showed videos featuring interviews with OWU students who had participated in the OWU Connection, travel-learning courses and trips funded through theory-to-practice grants. 

According to Kopp, the videos showed students are “great spokespeople for OWU” while Jones said the videos allowed students to talk to the trustees about scholarships, travel-learning and theory-to-practice experiences.

“Several Board members told me the videos helped make the OWU Connection concrete for them,” Jones said.

Sloan said the student interviews were” very powerful” because the students clearly care about OWU and were articulate and passionate about their projects and experiences abroad.

Jones said the videos are on the OWU website and on YouTube.

View Jones’s report and the faculty report on Scribd.

Rather than complaining about attending classes, members of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity (Delt) thought of those without access to basic necessities during the frigid cold weather last week.

For the past few weeks, Delt brothers have been collecting jackets, blankets, clothing, and other items to  help the homeless of Columbus survive the extreme cold.

“It was our cook, Billy Thompson’s idea,” said senior Jordan Grammer, member of the fraternity.

“One of his friends in Columbus works with the homeless, and said they’d appreciate anything we give them.”

What was started as a project within the fraternity was soon expanded to the campus community when they realized its potential.

Grammer said a Facebook event was made to spread awareness among students, in addition to several posts in the OWU Daily.

According to Grammer, the responses have been promising, as he’s heard from individuals and organizations on campus.

“It’s working because I got an email last night from Circle K asking about blanket donations,” he said.

“People come to me between classes with donations, and groups on campus are getting involved too. We’ve actually had to upgrade to bigger box sizes thanks to the great support from the OWU community.”

Junior Quan Nguyen said he loved the idea from the beginning.

“After we heard the idea from (Billy), the whole chapter applauded him and I instantly thought it’s a great idea that (should be expanded to the campus),” said Nguyen.

The brothers made donations themselves immediately after hearing the idea, and more and more donations poured in each day.

“People are eager to help either by coming to the house or by giving me their donations,” Nguyen said.

Senior Priyanka Venkataraman said she is glad Delt is hosting such an event because it is important to help those in need.

“By contributing to this cause we are helping those who are in close proximity to us and making a difference in their lives,” she said.

“It may be a small step to provide them with clothes now but it really helps in the long run by encouraging them to believe that there is hope out there.”

Grammer, who believes his project exemplifies Greek service, said a donation box has already been taken to Columbus and they are still collecting items for a future donation.

 

With members active in the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs and Greek and Residential Life, President’s Club is home to many of the campus’ leaders – and they’re seeking more.

Applications will be available until March 3rd for students considering membership in the prestigious organization.

The organization has 32 current members, half of them seniors.

While looking for new members, junior member Lauren Holler said the club looks for five specific qualities in a candidate including  academic performance, involvement as well as leadership, service and stewardship, and status as role models.

While their main event is President’s Ball, Holler said  the club is also involved in planning and implementing other events on campus.

One event is hosting the “Alumni Speaker Series,” in which brings graduates and current students together for discussion.

Junior member Kaitlyn Kropf said President’s Club usually brings in alumni with leadership experience.

“This year we are bringing in Mike Hamra, who is the president and CEO of Hamra Enterprises,” Kropf said.

“They (Hamra Enterprises) operate and own numerous Panera Bread’s, Wendy’s and Holiday Inn Expresses nationwide.”

The club also works closely with President Rock Jones.

“We are an integral part of Rock’s Pritchard House events and help him host his important gatherings,” said senior Kelsey Ullom.

Holler said she believes President’s Club events offer students the chance to meet successful alumni.

“These are always great opportunities to connect with alumni and network,” she said.

Ullom said being a part of President’s club can provide countless benefits for students.

“Members are able to gain leadership skills through retreats and workshops and are granted opportunities to network with alumni and guests of the university,” she said.

“It sounds cheesy, but we often look for students who truly exemplify what it means to be ‘the opposite of ordinary.’”

“Additionally and probably most importantly, President’s Club members get to know Rock and Melissa as they frequently visit their home, and are able to share and express ideas they have about the Ohio Wesleyan experience,” Ullom said.

“Rock genuinely values the member’s opinions and feedback, and appreciates our vision as the student leaders of this campus.”

Kropf says she decided to apply to President’s Club at the last minute in hopes to develop better leadership skills and gain confidence.

“I had always heard of President’s Club, but I never actually knew anything about it,” she said.

“I looked at the people in the club and saw aspects of their character that I wanted to have. I wanted to become a better leader and gain more confidence. I saw leadership and confidence in each member in the club.”

Holler agreed, stating she considers it an honor to be a part of the club.

“President Rock Jones knows all of the members of Presidents Club and trusts us to represent students in the highest regards at the events he hosts,” she said.

 

Ask the average Ohio Wesleyan student what the Bishop Externship Program is and the answer might be a blank stare.

The student hearing about the program for the first time might not know anything about the program, except that it is a reoccurring subject line found in his or her Bishop email account.

The school website describes an externship program as “a short (1-5 days) practical experience which allows OWU students to explore a potential career path, gain valuable job experience and engage with OWU alumni working in various career fields and industries.”

The Bishop Externship program offers students a unique job shadowing opportunity by exploring possible career interests, in a program that takes place over spring break by connecting the students with alumni located in various parts of the country.

 

Origins of the program

According to senior Martin Clark, Marketing and Public Relations Intern for the Offices of Career Services, “An Externship provides an opportunity to be exposed to a work environment without long term commitment.

“You don’t dig quite as deeply into a career as with an internship, you just get your foot in the door to see if you’d be interested in it.”

Clark said economics majors might benefit more from the program because of the number of alumni work in economic related fields.

“Ultimately we’re limited in what we can offer by what alumni get involved in the program,” he said. “There is no program without the alumni.”

To widen that pool of experiences, Clark said the Internship Coordinator, Melissa Bogner, is always reaching out to alumni from all backgrounds to attract a wider variety of students with different majors.

The official Bishop Externship program launched last year with externships being offered over spring break in various locations including New York City, Columbus and Atlanta,” Bogner said.

“We have witnessed an increase in alumni involvement this fall, which allowed for more externship opportunities for OWU students.”

Additionally, Bogner said alumni have been impressed with the caliber of OWU students and she has seen students return to campus with a new eagerness and energy to pursue their careers.

Both Bogner and Clark point to the alumni as being the key factor that differentiates the program from other, more traditional, internship programs.

 

Students reflect on their experiences 

 

Senior Lauren Holler voiced a similar opinion.

Holler participated in a fall break Externship and shadowed alumna Megan Ellis and some of her colleagues at Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Franklin County.

“My sponsor, Megan Ellis, was very kind and welcoming along with the entire staff at CASA,” Holler said.

“The Bishop Externship Program really gives students an opportunity to connect with alumni in intimate settings, which I find very valuable,” Holler said.

“All of the alumni I met throughout the experience were very eager to meet with us and talk to us.”

Senior Kelsey King, who also participated in an externship program, said she would recommend the program.

“If you’re entertaining the idea of entering a certain field, sign up,” she said.

“You may discover that the industry isn’t what you imagined, or find that the industry is a fantastic fit for your interests and skills. Take a chance in the application and have fun.”

The Taglit-Birthright Israel program recently changed its policy so that more Jewish students can be eligible.

Birthright is an international program that sponsors free 10-day trips to Israel for Jewish students between the ages of 18 and 26.

The old policy of the organization stated that men and women who had visited Israel previously with a peer or educational group were not eligible for the trip.

With the changes that are being made, now these people are now eligible for the free trip.

According to the program’s website, since its creation in 1999, Birthright has sent over 350,000 Jewish young adults to Israel.

The site also states the participants come from 64 countries, all 50  U.S. states and Canadian provinces and from nearly 1,000 North American colleges and universities.

Senior Ben Witkoff traveled on a Birthright trip this past winter break and approves of the changes made to the program.

“Before they were 18, it’s possible that some of the info was withheld because of their age but now that they are adults, the things they can see and hear give the experience a more realistic value,” he said.

This is exciting news for sophomore Emma Drongowski who is now eligible for the Birthright trip. She is the current president of Hillel, the Jewish student organization on campus.

According to the Hillel website, Hillel is the largest Jewish student organization in the world. It is located in 550 colleges and universities.

Drongowski plans to apply for the trip in December.

Drongowski said a lot of  Jewish students visit Israel during summer camps when they are younger, and also with high school groups.

Senior Zoey Kramer went on a Birthright trip last December and encourages more to apply.

“This trip was nice because I was surrounded by other students my age who understand the Jewish tradition, unlike at school,” she said.

Jewish life on campus

According to Jessica Shimberg, the advisor for Hillel and part-time staff in the Chaplain’s office, there are only 47 students who self-identify as Jewish on campus.

Shimberg hopes to work with the Office of Admissions to boost Jewish recruitment to the university.

“There are a lot of things that OWU does that are important aspects in the Jewish communities such as travel-learning, social justice and service learning,” she said.

Drongowski said not very many Jewish students participate in Hillel on campus.

“It’s the students that are involved with Hillel that will want to go on a Birthright trip,” she said.

By Caleb Dorfman
Transcript Reporter

Students continue to celebrate Black History Month with events put on by various African-American groups on campus.

The first event was the Feb. 3rd screening of the film “Black in America 2,” a CNN documentary that discusses African-American culture.

Sophomre Dennique Corbett, vice president of public relations for the Student Union on Black Awareness (SUBA), said the students who saw the film enjoyed it.

“The stories presented by the movie were very interesting and informative,” she said.

Junior Avery Winston said he thought the film offered insight on issues African Americans struggle and cope with on a daily basis, including “medical disparities…,problems in the criminal justice system, income disparities and issues with higher education.”

Some members of the campus community, however, believe OWU students could learn more about the topic.

“I don’t think the people on this campus know enough about the struggles of African Americans,” said sophomore Aaron Cameron, treasurer of BMF. “Most people only know the more famous civil rights activist and not enough about the others who helped contribute to America’s progress and success.”

Sophomore Luke Waters, vice president of Black Men of the Future (BMF), said he thinks everyone on campus should be more committed to understanding black history.

Waters suggested students take Black World Studies classes and join groups like SUBA, BMF and Sisters United to learn more.

“One of the most important aspects of Black History Month is not only learning about past struggles of African-Americans, but also the triumphs and success of past and current African-Americans,” he said.

Schedule of Black History Month events  Week of Feb. 10 Cupcake sales for Valentine’s Day (will be delivered on the 13th)   Feb. 13 Black Sexuality in America Discussion Corns 312, 6:30 p.m.   Feb. 17 Discussion with professor Michael Flamm in Benes Room A, 6:30 p.m.   Feb. 21 Soul Food Dinner with African American poetry reading in the Benes Rooms, time TBA   Feb. 28 Motown Karaoke in Milligan Hub, 7-9 p.m.   March 1 Finale Dance Party, location and time TBA

 

Due to low numbers of applicants, the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA) has added 14 Residential Representatives and eight other representatives, but was not able to hold elections.

The Residential Representative applications were due on Jan. 24, but only 11 applications had been received for the 14 positions.

The full body consists of 32 elected members – the representatives and the executive committee, comprised of president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and  six class representatives.

“I feel like a lot of people are put off by having to run (election) campaigns, so this year only 11 people signed up,” said junior Lauren Holler, president of WCSA.

One of the 11 later had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts, leaving four open residential positions and the eight others, which include at-large, Small Living Unit, off-campus and fraternity representatives.

Applications for those positions were due on February 1. Positions were also decided by appointment rather than election.

Holler said the role of a residential representative is to “voice concerns of students” to the full council body and administration.

Sophomore Ruchi Kansal, a residential representative for the Academic Committee, said she chose to get involved in WCSA, because she wanted to “hold a leadership position in a respected club on campus and get involved with schools affairs.”

Kansal said running for residential representative gave her the opportunity to connect to a lot more people on campus, however, she said, “the competition was quite tough making it more stressful.”

“People underestimate residential representatives,” she said.

“There are two sides to it, you can go without doing anything the whole year, or you can do a lot. People complain about the school affairs, and do not know how to operate through it, so we definitely need more campaigning and advertising.”

Kansal said currently her goal is to get more involved with the affairs and listen to what students have to say, because “hearing out people is the best way to improve an issue.” 

Holler said WCSA is involved with a lot of projects currently, for example, the Residential Affairs committee working with Chartwells in providing them with more feedback from the student body.

“The role of our (committees) is a little difficult to pinpoint sometimes, because we deal with so many different organizations on campus,” said Holler. “WCSA’s main role is to communicate issues,”

WCSA needs students to  voice concerns

Junior Yasmin Razdi, a current residential representative said as students we are here not only in academic pursuit, but also “to form relationships, to find maturity and professionalism, and to most importantly be happy.”

Razdi said her main goals while on the committee are to improve the food quality of s to Chartwells and work on improving the dining hours.

Junior Erica Shah has served as residential representative during the fall and spring of 2013.

“I wanted to bring change on campus and solve student issues,” she said. “As WCSA is a medium that links the students to the administration, I wanted to be bring effective and transparent communication between the two.”

Shah has also served on the Budget Committee and as an assistant treasurer. She said there are some challenges to holding positions on an organization like WCSA.

“You can’t make everyone happy,” she said, “You need to focus on how it benefits the entire campus rather than a selected group.”

Shah said one of the primary concerns is that a lot of students don’t know what WCSA is or the work that they do, so it is imperative to reach out to more students and advertise the changes done by WCSA “like wireless printing, more vegetables and fruits in Thompson store, spring and fall funding and lessons to use Orgsync.”

Holler, who has held other positions in the past such as Class of 2015 representative, co-chair of Residential Affairs committee and treasurer of WCSA, said students are always encouraged to apply for the various positions within the wider WCSA body.

Kansal said contacts for all residential representatives are available on the WCSA website if students want to reach out to any of them.

“Students tend not to raise their concerns so (the) school thinks everything is perfect,” said Kansal.

“But if they want the issues to be resolved they need to raise their voices officially because we can help them in any way.”

By Ellin Youse and Brian Williams
Editor-in-Chief and Transcript Reporter

Members of the Denison University campus mourned the loss of senior David Hallman III, who was found dead Saturday night.

According to a story released by Denison’s communications department, Hallman, 21, was found at 10:34 p.m. after a day-long police search. Denison students, faculty and staff participated in the extensive search for Hallman.

The Erie, Pa. native was last seen Saturday, Feb. 8 at 2 a.m. leaving Brews Café in Granville. After not hearing any word from their son, Hallman’s parents called Denison to report their son missing.

Suspicions over Hallman’s absence arose when he missed a noon appointment Saturday. After several failed attempts to contact him, Granville police issued a community wide alert.

Additionally, photos of him were distributed to students and Granville residents.  Volunteers were asked to keep an eye out for him, as well as check any warm garages or sheds that someone might take shelter from the cold.

Denison staff members comprised the small search party that found Hallman’s body. Hallman was found in a parking garage of an apartment complex.

Granville police have asked the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for help investigating the events in full, but have confirmed that Hallman died from hypothermia.

Denison is mourning the loss of Hallman campus wide. Denison’s communication department said Hallman, a member of the swim team, was well known throughout the small campus and the tragedy is weighing heavily on the family-like community.

After initially informing the campus of his death at 11:24 p.m. Saturday night, the university held a memorial service at its Swasey Chapel.

“This is tragic,” Denison University president Adam Weinberg said. “But the strength of our community lies in how we come together in times like these.

“We are strong in moments of joy and celebration, but we are also strong in moments of sorrow and loss. Tonight we all need to be there for each other.”

Denison freshman Elizabeth VanNess said the loss of Hallman is tragic, but the strength and unity of the campus is what evoked her true empathy.

“I never knew him, but couldn’t help (but) be moved and impressed by the evident concern and responsibility shown by the Denison community as a whole,” said Denison freshman Elizabeth VanNess.

Preventing Tragedy at OWU

In recent weeks, Ohio Wesleyan has taken precautions against this kind of tragedy, sending students, faculty and staff frequent emails with information about cold weather safety. Bob Wood, director of Public Safety, said considering the unfortunate loss of Hallman, he is relieved that OWU took the time to reach out to the community when the extreme cold hit.