Category: News

By Sophie Crispin
Transcript Reporter

As the academic year nears its end, several students are just beginning work on the Ohio Wesleyan community garden. Located in front of the Student Observatory beside Stuyvesant Hall, the garden has been largely left to the care of several dedicated students. Senior Megan Fris, a member of the Tree House and Environment and Wildlife Club, has taken the garden on as a house project.

“Originally, former Tree House members received a TiPiT grant to start the community garden the year before I joined, so I took care of it the second year” Fris said.

Containing crops like peas, tomatoes, summer squash, cucumbers and watermelon, the garden’s purpose is to offer fresh, accessible produce for the campus community. Fris said there are two reasons for the project.

“One reason is that the food we get from the grocery store throughout the year is less nutritious than the food we grow ourselves,” she said. “This is because many of the produce you pick in the grocery store has been artificially ripened. Second, in order to get fruits and veggies in the middle of winter, we rely on mass transit, which in turn burns fossil fuels and helps contribute to global warming. Eating locally, for these reasons, is extremely important.”

Fris and other students, including junior Michael Cormier, who will take over the project when he returns from Cuba, hope to expand the garden. Fris said the main obstacle is timing—students begin work on the garden in the spring but few people can tend it in the summer.

Chartwells Resident District Manager Gene Castelli is working to help students overcome this problem. He said there’s a possibility of using summer student labor to tend the garden and using the produce in the fall.

“With the climate being what it is, we are limited as to what will grow outdoors in the colder months, but I know we can expand on what we produce with a better defined program,” he said.

Chartwells has funded the garden’s initial startup costs and committed to purchase the produce so the garden can be financially sustainable.

The students working on the garden are enthusiastic about Chartwells becoming involved. Though she’s graduating, Fris said she has high hopes for the garden.

“The final outcome would perhaps look something like gardens everywhere on campus (where appropriate), with a team of 50 or so students assigned to care for different parts of the garden throughout the summer,” she said.

By Becca Sufrin
Transcript Correspondent

In the fall of 2013, the Hamilton-Williams Campus Center (HWCC) Food Court will appear much different and offer new and improved options. Gene Castelli, Chartwells resident district manager; the Ohio Wesleyan Board of Trustees; and the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA) have been spearheading the project for about a year.

Junior Julia Zak, WCSA representative at large, has become involved in this discussion process.

Now that it is finally coming to fruition, she said the new food court will have a significantly larger salad bar, extensive soup options and a Papa John’s pizza station that will serve individual pizzas.

The checkout lanes will also be slanted to avoid crowding during the noon hour, when student traffic is at its heaviest. The seating sections on either side of the retail area will also be renovated—they will be less “blocked off” from one another, according to Zak.

“The hope is that the rooms will be more open so people can feel free to have open dialogue,” she said. “Thus, it will provide a more aesthetically pleasing space to eat.”

Another change to the Food Court will be an increase in vegetarian and gluten-free options.

“The chefs are also now attempting to implement student-suggested recipes into their daily food options,” Zak said. “There is an effort to introduce people to different global tastes on a more regular basis.”

Junior Stephanie Martineau fully supports the renovations.

“I think it’s really smart that they are keeping up with the trend of updating areas around campus, especially as the number of students here increases,” she said. “It’s so important for commonly used spaces to be able to accommodate more people.”

Martineau is also looking forward to the wider variety of healthier food options.

Zak said the renovation will cost less than $750,000, which is an impressive feat for Ohio Wesleyan.

“As we try to encourage intellectual growth on this campus, it is important to match that in other environments that we provide to our students,” she said.

The new Food Court will be open next fall.

By Megan Dill
Transcript Correspondent

Last week, Sigma Chi (Sig Chi) put on their annual philanthropy event, Derby Days, to benefit Children’s Miracle Network. Derby Days is a week-long event that consists of various competitions among the Greek community. This year, there were six teams—one for each sorority and team “GDI,” an independent non-Greek team.

This year Sig Chi created the theme “Derby Vines,” a play on the name of the clothing brand Vineyard Vines. On Monday, Sig Chi held a banner-making competition. Each team was instructed to design a banner promoting the philanthropy and Derby Days. On Tuesday, teams participated in “sign a sig”, where they needed to sign any Sig Chi’s shirt that they saw. On Thursday, teams were commissioned to paint a cooler for Sig Chi with a design consistent with the “Derby Vines” theme.

Several competitions were hosted throughout the week, including bake sales and t-shirt sales each day.
On Friday night, a balloon party was hosted at the Sig Chi house.

The party paid tribute to the fraternity’s philanthropy organization, Children’s Miracle Network, and to announce the week’s winner—Delta Gamma. Children’s Miracle Network is a non-profit international organization founded in 1982 that raises funds for children’s medical research and children’s hospitals, according to its website. The foundation has raised over $4.7 billion dollars in its 30 years of existence.

Sig Chi donates all of the Derby Days proceeds to Children’s Miracle Network each year. This year junior Tim O’Keeffe, a member of Sig Chi, said he was thrilled to be a part of raising money for a good cause.

“Being able to support Children’s Miracle Network is one of my favorite parts of being a Sig Chi brother,” he said. “It’s such an amazing organization and I am so proud to be able to help out sick children every year.”

O’Keeffe said he thinks charity work is an important part of the Greek community.

“People don’t usually think about charity work when they think of Greek life,” he said. “Instead, they think of parties and drinking. But I think it is important to show off the causes that each chapter on campus supports. That’s what I love about hosting Derby Days.”

By Jija Dutt
Transcript Correspondent

Three student organizations used food as a way to educate about different cultures with a cultural food workshop on Thursday, April 18. Junior Ashley Madera, moderator of the Citizens of the World (COW) House, and senior Katherine Buckingham, a resident of the Modern Foreign Language (MFL) House, spearheaded the event. A few members of Ohio Wesleyan’s Latin American culture group, VIVA, were also involved in the planning and execution of the event.

The event was a part of Madera and Buckingham’s respective house projects, which are “a way for a member of a SLU (Small Living Unit) to share the values of their house with the OWU community,” according to Buckingham.

Madera said her favorite part of organizing house projects is how they can be used as learning experiences.

“For this project especially, we used food to show how different these countries can be although they are all Spanish-speaking and a part of Latin America,” she said.

Chartwells, OWU’s dining service provider, coordinated with the students to put together the event. The two-hour workshop took place in Smith dining hall. A set number of student participants and three faculty members attended the event, in addition to those who helped plan it.

Jeremy Baskes, associate professor of history; Christopher L. Fink, assistant professor and chair of the Department of Health and Human Kinetics; and Patricio Plazolles, program officer of the Woltemade Center for Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship were the faculty that assisted.

At the event, the faculty and VIVA members helped run the cooking stations.

The students rotated between the stations to cook tostones and mojo, chiles rellenos, ensalada de choclo, and alfajores. These are dishes from Cuba, Mexico, Peru and Argentina, respectively. Madera, who was the most familiar with the dishes, acted as the lead cooking instructor throughout the event.

“The most important part for me was to know that the students were enjoying themselves and learning new skills,” she said. “I believe that the accessibility of the recipes allowed those students who had never cooked before to realize that with a little practice and instructions, these seemingly difficult dishes are not as complicated.”

Junior John Bieniek, one of the participants in the workshop, said it was a good hands-on experience for people who do not know how to cook.

“It was important to learn about the history of each dish and what goes into making them,” he said. “The final result was the best meal that I can remember.”

Madera said she was already getting a lot of positive feedback from all those who were a part of it.

“I really believe that food is a great way to explore cultures around the world and I hope to bring this event back with other cultural organizations on campus,” she said.

By Spenser Hickey
Assistant Copy Editor

Glass and blood stained the sidewalks, buildings shook and runners were knocked to the ground during the two explosions that killed at least three people during the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15.
So far no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The bombings occurred almost simultaneously at 2:50 p.m. and took place “50 to 100 yards apart” along the route to the finish line on Boylston Street, according to a press statement by Boston police commissioner Ed Davis.

“Each scene resulted in multiple casualties,” he said.

As of the time of publication, no suspects were in police custody and it is not publicly known whether the bombing was the work of domestic or foreign terrorists.

News of the bombing quickly spread among the OWU community, particularly over Facebook. Many students posted messages of love, support and prayer for those in Boston. Several students who posted are from the Boston area.

Sophomore Matthew Hunter, who lives near Boston, said in an email, that hearing of the bombing left him in “absolute disbelief.”

“It was terrifying because I have friends who were working the finish line,” he said. His friends’ shifts ended “about 30” minutes before the bombs detonated nearby.

Hunter said every year he was in high school, he watched the end of the marathon from the Prudential Center, near the finish line.

“It’s a strange situation,” he said. “I never considered that something like this could happen during the marathon. It’s such an iconic event and back home everyone stops what they are doing to watch. In hindsight I can see why it was a target.”

Junior Rachel Vinciguerra, who lives 15 minutes from Boston, said in an email she didn’t hear about the attacks until 6 p.m.

“I was shocked when I heard what had happened,” she said.

“Bostonians love their city and this attack couldn’t have come at a much more vulnerable time. For such a tragedy to take place on a day that should be filled with so much joy is crushing. I hope that the people responsible will be identified—mostly for the future safety of the city. In order for us to protect against another incident like that, I think it’s important to understand what happened.”

Vinciguerra said her mother had run in the marathon before, and one of her high school friends and one mother’s coworkers ran this year. Her mother was with her sister on a visit to Syracuse University and their friends were unharmed, but she said it was “certainly a scary moment.”

She said seeing the replays of the explosion were “really difficult.”

“I know those buildings,” she said. “I’ve walked down those streets before with my family and by myself. It’s really hard for me to even fathom that this has happened in a city that has always felt so safe to me.”

Despite the bombing, she said the first responders’ promptness reminded her how safe the city is.

“They were incredible and I am so proud that they serve where they do,” she said. “As for America, I don’t really have an idea one way or the other of whether this was a domestic attack or an international attack, but I feel like you can’t let these things get to you… I might be a little more alert than usual, but I refuse to be scared…because an attack like this is meant to shake people up and I don’t want to give in to that….I’m just glad to know that my loved ones are safe and am keeping all of those affected in my prayers. If Boston is anything, it is stubborn and resilient. We’ll bounce back.”

On Monday night, the popular Facebook page OWU Compliments posted a message “To other Bostonians at OWU” saying they hoped “all your friends & family are OK and were far away from Boylston when the bombs went off.”

“You are wonderful and resilient people,” said the post, signed by “a broken heart 12 hours from Heartbreak Hill.”

Amid the shock and devastation in Boston, stories of heroism began to emerge.

CNN reported some marathon runners turned and ran back into the blast zone alongside first responders to help their comrades. NBC Sports’ Twitter feed said other runners continued the marathon all the way to Massachusetts General Hospital, where they then donated blood to help victims.

Following news of the bombings, reports said there had been another explosion at Boston’s JFK Library; later reports said it was a fire.

“We’re recommending to people that they stay home, if they’re in hotels in the area that they return to their rooms, and that they don’t go any place and congregate in large crowds,” Davis said.

“We want to make sure we completely stabilize the situation.”

Davis said two hotlines have been set up: one at (617) 635-4500 to help families find loved ones who were at the scene, and another at (1-800) 494-8477 for witnesses to contact law enforcement about what they may have seen.

“We don’t have the whole picture yet, but we have gotten a good deal of information,” Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick said during the press conference.

Davis said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the Massachusetts National Guard, as well as “assets from other agencies,” were assisting the police.

Patrick said he received a phone call from President Obama around 4:15 p.m., assuring him the FBI would fully cooperate with the investigation.

Shortly after 6 p.m., Obama addressed the nation, giving a statement to the press from the White House.
He praised the response of Boston police and firefighters, saying “it’s a reminder that so many Americans serve and sacrifice on our behalf every day.”

“I’ve directed the full resources of the federal government to state and local authorities to help protect our people, increase security around the United States as necessary and investigate what happened,” Obama said.

He urged Americans not to jump to conclusions, but vowed to bring those responsible to justice.
“We still do not know who did this or why,” he said.

“But make no mistake—we will get to the bottom of this, and we will find out who did this. We’ll find out why they did this. Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice.”

At a later press conference after 9 p.m. Monday, Davis said he offered his sympathies to the victims.
“Those responsible will be brought to justice,” he said.

In a later statement Tuesday morning, Obama announced the FBI was treating the bombing as an “act of terrorism.”

“This was a heinous and cowardly act… (a)ny time bombs are used to target innocent civilians, it is an act of terror,” he said.

“The American people refuse to be terrorized, because what the world saw yesterday – the aftermath of the explosions – were stories of heroism and kindness and generosity and love… So if you want to know who we are, what America is, how we respond to evil, that’s it – selflessly, compassionately, unafraid.”

By Spenser Hickey
Assistant Copy Editor

This year’s Greek Week, running from April 8-12, featured seven events designed to increase the bonds between fraternity and sorority members, and encourage Greek students to do acts of service.

The events included a Monday performance by comedian Evan Wecksell, a Tuesday canned food sculpture competition, Greek Olympics on Wednesday, a clothing drive Thursday and an all-Greek barbecue on Fraternity Hill Friday evening.

This year’s theme was “Greeks Give Back,” which incorporated community service into the events. During the week members of the Greek community collectively donated 586 pounds of canned or boxed goods and 2,705 articles of clothing.

“This week has been a really good reminder of the fact that we are service organizations,” sophomore Rebecca Caserta of Delta Zeta (DZ) said.

Levi Harrel, residential life coordinator (RLC) for Smith Hall and Greek Week adviser, said this year’s service theme was new.

“(Greek Week) is service-orientated, but (the theme) changes every year,” he said. “It’s really what our student planning committee comes up with and is a reflection of what that community wants that year.”

Junior Rachel Tallmadge, a member of the planning committee, said in an email the theme was chosen because “(t)he entire OWU Greek Life community is committed to philanthropy and service.

“In order to get people engaged, we wanted to play off of the passions that already exist,” she said.

The planning committee worked with Harrel and “bought supplies, contacted judges, made the advertisements (and) set up the events,” according to Tallmadge. She said the committee was “really proud” of the end result.

At each event, fraternities and sororities competed together as part of five teams, picked primarily by size but also with the goal of bringing together chapters that normally don’t interact.

The teams included the Purple Team of Phi Delta Theta (Phi Delt) and Delta Delta Delta; the Red Team of Delta Gamma (DG), Chi Phi and Phi Kappa Psi; the Orange Team of DZ and Alpha Sigma Phi (Alpha Sig); the Green Team of Delta Tau Delta, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Sigma Phi Epsilon; and the Blue Team of Kappa Alpha Theta, Phi Gamma Delta, Phi Beta Sigma and Sigma Chi.

At the end of the all-Greek barbecue—the week’s “culminating event,” according to Harrel—awards were given to the most spirited team, the highest scorer and the week’s Greek “god” and “goddess.”

Harrel selected the spirit award himself. Teams earned points through donations and member attendance at events. Students chose the Greek god and goddess in an online election.

The two team awards both went to the Orange Team, while the laurel crowns for god and goddess went to couple Marshall Morris and Meredith Wholley, both seniors. Morris is a member of Phi Delt and Wholley, a member of DG.

Harrel said deciding the spirit award came “down to the last minute,” but ultimately he found the Orange Team best showed the “inter-fraternal spirit of what Greek Week was about.”

The Orange Team also earned 1,140 points, 35 more than the second-place Red Team.

Both Morris and Wholley said they didn’t expect to win, but Wholley said she had “a really good campaign team behind (her).”

Wholley’s team consisted of her sisters, who put 500 posters around campus in the days beforehand, according to sophomore Ali Smith of DG.

“We campaigned hard,” she said.

Many students present at the barbecue, including Morris, Wholley, Smith and Reynolds, said they thought the week went well.

“I feel like they’ve brought the community together,” Smith said.

Wholley said she liked being teamed up with other organizations.

“It was a really good bonding experience between some of the teams and I’m really glad,” she said. “Last year we focused on recycling, and this year we focused on donating.”

Senior Catherine Spence-Godin said she thought the teams were “competitive,” but also “respectful and supportive.”

Sophomore Jon Rodriguez of Alpha Sig said he thought the week brought his fraternity and DZ closer.
“We worked together to get where we are,” he said.

Sophomore Grace Thompson of DZ said the week improved as it progressed.

“I think Greek Olympics were probably the best because all of the sororities and fraternities were actually all together,” she said. “…I feel like the clothing drive was really the most service-oriented thing, and that was really successful.”

Sophomore Christian Gehrke of Alpha Sig said the week was “a good opportunity” for Greek charity.

“I just saw bags and bags and bags (of clothes) and it’s great—it just put a smile on my face,” he said. “(I’m) just glad that something good outside of all of us is happening.”

Spence-Godin said the service aspect was “wonderful.”

“I think the fact that they raised as many more cans than they have in the previous years was great,” she said.

Harrel the canned food donated was the most given to the organization at any one time.

Harrel said this year’s Greek Week was an attempt to “reinvent” the tradition.

“Our whole point this year was … (to) really build from the ground up so that it changes, it’s more substantial, it’s lasting and that we’re building a legacy, and I think that the energy surrounding it is already doing that,” he said.

During a speech at the awards ceremony, Harrel said the participants reinvigorated Greek Week at OWU.
“Regardless of whether you get (an award) or not, you made a difference,” he said.

By Noah Manskar
Editor-in-Chief

Former Ohio Wesleyan student Waleed Osman filed a guilty plea to charges of burglary, voyeurism and public indecency on Monday.

Osman was arrested in the early morning of Dec. 1, 2012, after he went into a Thomson Hall women’s bathroom and tried to watch a female resident shower.

He also gained access to a woman’s bedroom in Bashford Hall, where he then lived, and exposed himself to her. He was charged with two counts of burglary (one for each residence hall invasion), a third-degree felony; and one count each of voyeurism (watching the woman shower) and public indecency (exposing himself), both third-degree misdemeanors.

Osman waived his right to grand jury indictment on Jan. 29 and was indicted by a bill of information from Prosecuting Attorney Carol Hamilton O’Brien. He initially plead not guilty.

According to Kyle Rohrer, first assistant prosecuting attorney for Delaware County, the change came following his acknowledgement of wrongdoing to the investigating detective.

“He basically admitted to everything we had him charged with, so I think he wanted to get this behind him, basically—accept the responsibility and take the consequences and get this behind him and try to piece his life back together,” Rohrer said.

Each felony charge carries a maximum sentence of 36 months in prison and a $10,000 fine; each misdemeanor entails a maximum 60 days in Delaware County jail and a $500 fine. Osman’s total maximum statutory prison sentence is just over three years.

In the hearing Monday morning, Judge Duncan Whitney said the penalties could be “stacked,” or doubled, because “they are distinct, separate offenses” with separate victims. Rohrer said Osman’s plea agreement decreased his potential jail time to just over three years. He will be sentenced on June 3 at 11:30 a.m.
Rohrer said he expected a “probationary sentence,” but is uncertain exactly how much time Osman will serve. He said he’s already spent about two months in county jail; records indicate he was released on Jan. 31.

“(W)hat to do is really up to the court,” he said.

Osman’s attorney, Dennis Evans, declined comment on the hearing.

Osman could also be subjected to as much as five full years of post-release control governed by the Adult Parole Board. Whitney said in the hearing that the board “makes the rules” and decides when they’re broken. If Osman were to violate the established terms of release, he could face additional jail time up to half what he’ll first serves.

Additionally, Whitney said the guilty plea meant Osman forfeited all his criminal defendant rights except his right to counsel, including: the guarantee of a speedy and public trial, presentation and cross-examination of witnesses, the requirement of the state to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and his Fifth Amendment rights.

The state will also conduct a pre-sentence investigation (PSI) through Adult Court Services (ACS). According to Ohio Revised Code 2951.03, a PSI involves an evaluation of “the criminal record, social history and present condition of the defendant” and possibly a “physical and mental examination,” including a drug test.

Prior to the hearing, Osman had been under house arrest without GPS monitoring at his home in Cincinnati. Because he’s been compliant, Whitney issued an amendment to the order—Osman can leave his home to work, but must stay confined otherwise.

During the hearing, Evans said Osman wished to work with his cousins, who run a “lucrative” business selling souvenirs at fairs and festivals in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana; he also wants to find other work closer to Cincinnati.

Whitney approved, but said Osman must get permission from ACS before leaving the state.

Following his arrest, a no-contact order was issued prohibiting Osman from interacting with the women who reported him; he’s also forbidden from accessing OWU property. Both orders remain intact with the house arrest caveat.

Upon his December arrest, Osman’s bail was set at $150,000, then lowered to $50,000. Eventually, the court reduced the bond to $500.

According to a Dec. 19 request from Evans to reduce the initial amount, Osman and his parents came to the United States as refugees from Sudan when he was 10.

He gained American citizenship in 2008, and attended Cincinnati’s prestigious Walnut Hills High School, ranked the top public high school in Ohio and the 66th-best in the nation.

By Becca Sufrin
Transcript Correspondent

On December 6, 2012, a Facebook page called “OWU Compliments” appeared; since then, the popularity of this page and others similar to it, has exploded.

According to the OWU Compliments description, the page is “an anonymous forum that Bishops may use to thank other students, organizations, staff and faculty members.” Ohio Wesleyan Facebook users can send a private message with their compliment to the page’s inbox or using a Google form. Either way, submitters’ names are kept confidential.

Compliments are sent in at large volumes and published to the site multiple times per day.

Junior Krina Patel, a supporter of the page, said she enjoys the positivity it provides.

“OWU Compliments is such an uplifting page where people can anonymously tell other people how they feel,” she said.

“There is such an exciting air of mystery about getting a compliment written about you because you have no idea who wrote it.”

Recently, two other similar Facebook pages have been created.

One titled “OWU Confessions” was used for confessing anything, positive or negative, to the page’s followers.

Due to the fact that the content did not have to be positive, topics quickly evolved into being extremely controversial.

In just about a week the page received nearly 600 “likes” on Facebook, but as of April 12, the page seems to have been shut down.

Another page called “OWU Confessions Absolutely Anonymous” was created on April 7.

This page was made to reinforce the level of anonymity that other similar pages seemed to lack—it offered a fully anonymous Google form from its inception, while its counterpart didn’t offer such an option at the beginning.

It currently has 492 “likes” and has become a major talking point around campus.

Junior Julia Zak said the increasing importance that others have attached to these pages reflects “the power of social media and the influence it has on our culture today.”

“We fear the natural human response to things that we may be insecure about,” she said. “But in some ways the anonymity is a benefit, because you get a type of catharsis that you might not get if you tell someone something in person.”

Both OWU Compliments and OWU Confessions Absolutely Anonymous are still running pages and many students continue to visit each of the Facebook pages daily to hear more about their fellow OWU students and organizations.

By Elizabeth Childers
Managing Editor

While Ohio Wesleyan offers an array of majors in several departments (93, according to our website), over the past five years, and according to the current declared majors, there are four who seem to draw in the most students: Zoology, Psychology, English, and Economics (respectively and according to the number of declared majors).
These four departments being the top are significant in showing the diversity at OWU. Though the university is known for its science programs (OWU is one of the few in the country to offer zoology as a degree and as a separate department, which is a huge draw to prospective students), the four departments with the highest number of students with declared majors are as diverse as what 93 majors would suggest. All four of these programs also happen to be listed by the Princeton Review as some of the top ten majors in the country.
“Be warned, however, that these are not necessarily the degrees that garner the most demand in the job market,” the Princeton Review writes. “More importantly, they don’t lock you into a set career path. Each major offers unique intellectual challenges and develops skill sets that will be applicable to various careers.”
The four departments listed here – zoology, psychology, English and economics – are all very different routes of education, but all seem to do the same thing: preparing students for a wide array of different jobs focusing more on the skills and thinking styles taught by each discipline.

This is part two of a two part series. Last week’s Transcript featured the first and second most popular majors, Zoology and Psychology. Find Part One Here.

English

English, which provides three different concentrations for their students, has the third highest number of declared majors with 80 currently declared. These students very commonly are double majors (around 40 percent of the already declared English majors, according the English department’s current records).

Dr. Martin Hipsky, the chairperson for the department, had just finished discussing the English department’s programs with a prospective student. “At this time of year, March/April, we have one or two (prospective students) a week,” Hipsky said. “We’re often asked to allow 1, 2, or 3 students in. Often on Mondays after Sunday night stayovers. It’s extremely common.”

Students who come in their freshmen year wanting to be English majors, Hipsky said, often have had pleasant experiences with high school English and AP English teachers and they “conceive a passion for it.”

No department really has a way to track intention to declare and ending up declaring. Hipsky said a lot of English majors register their majors late, due to a switch from outside the department into this one.
“They came to Ohio Wesleyan saying, ‘I want to be a pre-med’ or ‘I’m going to do pre-dentistry,’ or ‘I’m going to be pre-law’ and they discover they don’t have the aptitude or they no longer really like it as much. In the meantime, they’ve taken two or three courses in the humanities and decide they have a real interest in it.”

Hipsky mentioned the common conception is that humanities degrees such as Classics, Philosophy, Religion or English tend to be considered “impractical.” Yet, it is one of the most popular majors both at OWU and across the country.

“The truth is, a lot of people realize that what are valued very highly across different kinds of work places are communication skills, both written and oral,” Hipsky explained. “And because we have a lot of discussion in our classes, we do a lot of oral presentations and obviously we have students write a lot of papers. Our department is, arguably, the best place to develop those communication skills…It’s kind of a one size fits all, in terms of jobs, set of skills.”

The curriculum for English majors is noted to be flexible for students. Because of the three concentrations, there are different required classes and different electives that can be taken.
Required classes also tend to be in groups meaning in the catalogue a lot of required sections will say: “Take three out of the classes listed here” and there will be a list of classes that would fill that requirement. These classes can vary depending on the concentration.

Students who graduate from the English department end up in a variety of jobs.

“Some students end up in Public Relations, advertising, media,” he said.

“Lots of places where the writing skills are put to good use… I also have a student in New York now who is an editor for an online magazine. I have another student who works at the children’s magazine Highlights down in Columbus. We have students who go to law school or masters of Fine Arts…We have students who go for the PhD.”

The English department, one of the physically largest departments, has 12 full-time faculty members and three assistant professors. Classes rarely get overly crowded; Hipsky believes the average class size in the department is 13 to 15 students but there are often students who are waitlisted for classes and don’t get in.

“We have an issue of pressure on the caps (for classes),” Hipsky said.

“A lot (of) courses are capped at 19 and we can get pressure from students to allow in one more seat. Different professors handle that differently. Most professors adhere to the caps, and that definitely avoids overcrowding.”

The English department also works with others programs on campus.

“We have film courses from Modern Foreign Language from Sociology, even from Politics and Government so we coordinate with them for which classes can fulfill the minor,” he said. “We are involved in the Ancient Medieval and Renaissance program chaired by Patricia DeMarco. So we work with Humanities-Classics and History. We are intertwined with Black World Studies (BWS) and Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS.)”

Economics

The past number of students enrolled in economics used to supersede zoology, and the past five year mean indicated Economics had the highest number of students enrolled. This year the number has significantly dropped from an average of 81 students to 68. However, there doesn’t seem to be any changes in the department. The department’s chairperson, Dr. Barbara MacLeod, said it wasn’t unusual for their students to declare relatively late.

“Some of it is ebb and flow,” she said. “And some of it is a few years ago we had a big economic crisis and some people chose to do something else. And some of our majors haven’t declared yet. When you have a large number of majors, there’s more change that can occur.”

There are five majors in the Economics department, and prospective students come to OWU having a basic interest in either economics or business and then decide later on which specific route they’d like to follow.
Students come into the department the same way students enter the psychology or English department, where there are students who come into the classroom freshmen year ready to major in Economics and sticking with it all four years or students who take an Econ course as part of an elective or requisite for another course and find they’re drawn to the major.

And, MacLeod said, it’s rare, but there are cases when Econ isn’t exactly what the student expected, so often they pursue a different major, or decide to make their Econ involvement a minor.

“We also pick up a lot of people who think they want to do pre-med, and I think that it’s true for a lot of departments on campus, where people will drift out of pre-med and into something else,” she said. “We also get a lot of students from the Health and Human Kinetics area who are interested in Sports Management…they take a lot of our courses.”

For an Economics majors, there is a set core of classes they are required to take. Beyond that, there are electives and other courses students can take as well to fulfill their major.

The Economics program is very similar to Psychology in that there are a few guidelines for specific courses students need to take for their majors and what those courses fulfill for students.

“Because we have so many majors, almost all the electives are offered every year and all of the required courses are offered almost every semester,” she said. “And many have multiple sections every semester, especially those freshmen and sophomore classes. It works really well for students who want to double major or work out minors in other departments.”

Class room sizes tend to run around 30 students and according to their own records, as many as 2/3 of the classes in the department run over 19, which is a significant number looked at in rating a college. Overall, most of OWU’s classes have fewer students than that magic number, and this department runs the opposite way.

“Classes are always tight. But we’ve never had anyone not be able to graduate,” MacLeod said. “We have no class that runs more than 35, and I still know the name of every student in my class.”

Students who graduate from the Economics program at OWU end up in a variety of locations and professions, like social media, PhD programs, graduate schools and business schools. “We send people into the finance industry, we send them into healthcare…Some of them are doing work overseas,” MacLeod said. “It really is fun to look at where they end up.”

The department interacts with other factions of OWU through several different programs, one of which is the Woltenmeade Center and international travel. In one instance, a group of interdisciplinary faculty travelled to China to incorporate it into an honors course that focused on different ways to look at the country. This coming summer the group is going to Cuba. They have also been involved in the Teaching Circle, which is “a group of faculty who has been meeting for several years now on how to improve their pedagogy and share ideas on new technology and new pedagogical techniques.”

Though there are no significant changes planned for the department, there has been some major progress in the recent past, and MacLeod said the department is focused on keeping these programs up to date and adding to what they’ve already accomplished.

“In the last few years, we have increased our faculty,” she said. “Five years ago, we started a program for top incoming freshmen called Economics Management Fellows program. Those students have left a real mark on campus…one of the results of that is the Bigelow-Reed House which focuses on economics and leadership and entrepreneurship, which is open to any major in campus. This past fall, we added the Finance Economics major…We want to solidify what we’ve been doing. We are continuing to add courses and we’ve rejuvenated an Economic Thought course and we’re talking about rejuvenating (others).”

MacLeod also mentioned a desire to increase the number of internship and job shadowing for their majors and working closely with the Woltenmeade Center to do so.

By Marissa Alfano
Transcript Correspondent

College campuses are commonly thought to be dangerous epicenters of crime on weekend nights. With students staying out until the early morning hours in compromised states of mind and walking home alone, there is a sort of fear that anything can happen.

Despite this assumption, Ohio Wesleyan University stands out as a relatively safe environment on Friday and Saturday nights.

An examination of the Delaware County Emergency Communications incident reports involving OWU revealed that very few incidences occur.

Reports for nine weekend days during the month of September 2012 were analyzed, and the incident reports filed involved only minor events. From the hours of 10 p.m. to 3 a.m., OWU’s Department of Public Safety received 49 calls on Friday nights and 88 calls on Saturday nights, making Saturday the more active night for students to make calls to Public Safety.

Breaking these reports down reveals a small number of calls to Public Safety each night.
For Fridays:
-Sept. 7 had 15 calls
-Sept. 14 had 13 calls
-Sept 21 had 13 calls
-Sept. 28 had eight calls

Larger call numbers were produced on Saturday nights.
-Sept. 1 had 13 calls
-Sept. 8 had 13 calls
-Sept. 15 had 16 calls
-Sept. 22 had 25 calls
-Sept. 29 had 21 calls

Although there are five Saturdays in September and four Fridays, Saturday nights produced comparatively more calls to PS than Friday nights for each weekend.

While Public Safety receives these calls, only those that might result in criminal charges are transferred to the Delaware Police Department (DPD). This means only 13 of these calls were transferred to DPD. There were six calls transferred on Fridays and seven on Saturdays. Although more calls were made to PS on Saturday nights, there was no significant difference in the number of calls requiring services from DPD. The 13 DPD reports show the misdemeanors for the night, each involving an issue that required the police department and not just PS to be involved. Issues involving theft, fire, possible marijuana use and other such legal issues all involve DPD.

A breakdown of each of the individual 13 calls shows what types of issues are dealt with on weekend nights at Ohio Wesleyan. Each report includes the incident that needed DPD attention along with the other PS issues that occurred on the same night. They are as follows:

At 10 p.m. on Sept. 7, a call was made regarding screaming students and fireworks coming from the Citizens of the World (COW) House’s porch. Officials were sent to the scene, talked with students and deemed the issue resolved. That was a Friday night.

At 11:43 p.m. on Sept. 8, the laundry room window in the basement of Bashford Hall was reported for vandalism and noted by PS.

At 1:23 a.m., the Smith East elevator broke and Public Safety investigated the complaint and arranged for the elevator to be fixed. At 2:30 a.m. the fire department was sent on a non-emergency status call to Sigma Chi Fraternity in response to a fire alarm, concluding one of the most eventful September Saturday nights on campus.

At 11:10 p.m. on Sept. 14, marijuana was smelled in Welch Hall and reported to DPD, but no action was taken.

At 11:14 p.m., a routine check of Beeghly Library was performed and no problems were found.
From 11: 57 p.m. to 12:06 a.m., two males walked into an Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity party and engaged in a verbal fight. One student left and publically urinated on an ice machine before running off. PS worked with the fraternity to resolve the fight and Friday night was brought to a close, while Sept. 15, Saturday night, resulted in no calls at all.

At 2:10 a.m. on Sept. 21, a Friday night, a suspicious subject was reported standing by the bike racks near Bashford Hall. The report was documented.

At 2:52 a.m., a call was made from Smith East requesting a ride to 23 Williams.

At 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 22, officials responded to a call regarding a robbery from the napkin dispenser in Hamilton Williams Campus Center.

At 9:43 p.m., a complaint was submitted that all the lights were out in the Stuyvesant Hall parking lot and Buildings and Grounds was notified of the situation so it could be fixed. After these Friday night activities, Sept. 28, a Saturday, received no calls.

At 1:12 a.m. on Sept. 29, a possible marijuana complaint was called in from Welch Hall and was reportedly resolved by DPD.

For the entire month of September, Friday and Saturday nights did not result in many emergency calls to DPD, and the calls that did result were from non-emergency fire alarm issues, fireworks and theft from a napkin dispenser.

The few incidents that did occur were minor in nature; yet, students still say they do not feel safe on campus. Junior Haley Leber said she feels safe at OWU during the daylight hours, but not as much once it gets dark.

“I stay late at the library every night and I used to walk, but not anymore,” Leber said. “I started driving my car instead because I don’t feel safe. I live in 4 Williams and I am not comfortable in the parking lot. There is one light, but it is still really dark at 1 a.m. and no one is around; it’s kind of freaky. I think campus overall is fairly well lit, but I do think there are areas that could use more lights for safety.”

OWU has tried to address this fear of walking home alone in the dark with the SAFEwalk program, which is designed to help ensure students stay safe by having a walking buddy available at night. SAFEwalk is offered every night from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. and is located in the main entrance to the library, next to the Library Café and in front of Thompson Store. Students can be found at the SAFEwalk desk, willing to escort anyone home who asks.

Leber said she likes the idea of SAFEwalk, but thinks it would be more beneficial if the workers asked her if she wanted to be walked home because she does not feel comfortable approaching them and asking.
This, however, does not seem to be stopping other students from utilizing SAFEwalk, according to sophomore Shakira Braxton and senior Tim Solwik, SAFEwalk employees.

Braxton said during the first semester, they averaged six or more requests for SAFEwalks per shift.
Although there are no qualifications to be a SAFEwalk employee, both said they feel able to do the job.

“Campus is safe all the time,” Solwik said. “People are safest if they travel in groups and aren’t fiddling around with iPods or other distracting devices. If they don’t feel safe, they should call SAFEwalk. We love getting asked to walk people home. It’s our job. Otherwise, we just sit here.”
In addition to walking people home, Braxton and Solwick patrol campus and check doors to see if the academic buildings are locked for the night. They said they have never come across a frightening emergency while on a weekend shift.

According to Solwik, there have been less people in the library this semester, so there have been less SAFEwalks requested than earlier in the year. He said people usually ask for a SAFEwalk while they are walking out of the library.

“We get way more requests on week days than weekend nights,” Solwik said. “Usually people don’t go back home until 3 a.m. on weekends, so if it’s after 1 a.m., they just call Public Safety.”

Bar Life

An examination of the September weekends involving the 18-years and older Clancey’s Pub and the 21-years and older Backstretch Bar, also found the areas surrounding campus party life to be relatively uneventful on the weekend nights.

An analysis showed only eight Computer Aided Dispatch Reports were processed from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. in connection with the only two bars within walking distance of Ohio Wesleyan’s campus. The only incident produced on a Friday night was also the only incident involving the Backstretch Bar. The other seven occurred at Clancey’s Pub on Saturday nights.

A breakdown of these calls reveals the issues that are dealt with during the time many students are celebrating their weekend near the bar. They are as follows:

At 1:40 a.m. on Sept. 9, a man called from Clancey’s Pub regarding an issue in which the mother of his children almost assaulted him. At 2 a.m. DPD sent an officer for a routine, follow-up bar check. This was an issue involving a non-OWU person, or as students would say, “a townie”.

At 11: 45 p.m. on Sept 15, a suspicious woman resisted custody at Clancy’s Pub. At 1:50 a.m. a routine bar check was performed. This again did not involve an OWU student.

At 1:13 a.m. on Sept. 16, the owner of Clancey’s Pub forced a customer to leave and would not let him retrieve his credit card inside. The issue was resolved.
At 12:20 a.m. on Sept. 21, a customer refused to pay at the Backstretch Bar and was tracked walking down South Sandusky Street.

At 1:15 a.m. on Sept. 23, Clancey’s Pub reported taking a fake ID from an underage male. The police figured out that it was his real ID and the issue was resolved.

At 12:16 a.m. on Sept. 30, a suspicious person was reported at Clancey’s Pub and appropriately investigated.

For all of the weekends in the month, these were the only incidents reported. Some of them involved “townies” or people otherwise not affiliated with Ohio Wesleyan, while others involved nonthreatening issues, such as the need for customers to pay the bartender before leaving. Although these incidents reveal a relatively safe atmosphere, the areas surrounding the two bars are considered by many students to be the most dangerous.

Clancey’s Pub is located at 40 South Sandusky Street and the Backstretch Bar is located at 14 South Sandusky Street. Most students take the adjacent street, Spring Street, to and from the bars.
Despite the lack of calls of incidences involving the two bars, Leber said she would never walk down Spring Street alone during any night of the week and especially not on the way home from the bar on the weekend.

“During the daylight hours it’s okay because people are driving and the road is active,” she said. “There are more people around for witnesses.”

Junior Maggie Medearis said she thinks it makes sense that there were more reports for Saturday nights because she feels that there are more people out and more chances for something dangerous to happen near the bars.

“There are more Greek social events and campus is more active on Saturdays,” Medearis said. “I feel like campus is dead on Friday. It might vary from school to school, but that’s how it is here. On the occasional times I go to the bar, it is more packed and, as a girl, I think there are more drunk, handsy and forward guys out on Saturday nights.”

Junior Shenyada Hutchinson said she feels similarly.

“On Fridays, people try to relax,” she said. “Some have sporting games on Saturdays and have to stay in. Usually sports teams’ host parties on Saturday nights after their games, so more people go out because of this.”

Hutchinson said she does not feel safe walking back from the bar at night, even though very few incidents are reported to occur.

“There are drunk people walking around and anything can happen,” she said. “I don’t feel comfortable by myself. I feel safest on campus rather than on Spring Street walking home from the bar. But even on campus I am still always checking over my shoulder and anticipating the worst. I try to talk on my phone if I’m by myself. When I walk with other people, though, I have no fear.”
Sophomore Ashkan Ekhtera said he sees more drunk women crying and more “townies” out in Delaware on Saturdays than Fridays. He thinks it is safer to walk down campus on the JAYwalk than on Spring Street and recommends people don’t wear headphones so they can be alert.

“I would watch for fights outside the bar and just be careful to walk with friends,” he said.

Public Safety

Public Safety has recognized that students do not always feel safe on campus and has developed a system of OWU Alerts, through which Public Safety can communicate with the campus in case of emergency situations. Students can sign up through OWU’s website to receive text, voice and e-mail messages of OWU Alerts.

Sergeant Chris Mickens of Public Safety said there are recommendations that have been sent out with some of the OWU Alerts about how students can keep themselves safe, even on a relatively safe campus like OWU.

“The alerts include information that the university feels should be sent to the campus community following safety and security issues or as general safety tips,” Mickens said.

These tips include walking with others, not letting strangers “piggyback” into buildings and reporting all concerns immediately. It is recommended that students carry a cell phone at all times with the phone pre-programmed to call Public Safety at 740-368-2222 and to recognize an incoming call from 740-368-3411 as an urgent OWU Alert.

If students feel threatened, they should get to a safe place as quickly as possible and call for help once out of immediate danger. Safeguarding the OWU ID card can also prevent strangers from entering campus buildings and causing harm. Additionally, valuables should not be left unprotected and doors and windows should be kept locked.

Students can consider personal safety training in an OWU activity course. Public Safety also is willing to speak to groups of five or more students who want more information about personal safety. Free, confidential student counseling services are available on campus by calling (740) 368-3145.

According to Public Safety, students should not take the law into their own hands, but should feel empowered to call Public Safety if they feel threatened or see someone else who needs help.

Public Safety assures students they are working hard to keep students safe and to make them feel comfortable both on campus and in the surrounding areas.

Overview

Incident reports involving PS and DPD for OWU’s campus, Clancey’s Pub and the Backstretch Bar have shown that areas students most frequently use are relatively safe; yet, PS continues to increase programs for campus safety. In the eyes of those who are responsible for students, even one minor incident is too many. Students are constantly being informed of safety tips and any potential suspicious reports, which help them to be aware and this awareness contributes to weekend safety.

Although campus is safe, some students still feel uncomfortable walking home on weekend nights. As a result, even though data reveals evidence of a safe campus and surrounding area, PS is always striving towards the goal of an incident-free weekend.