Category: News

By Samantha Simon
Transcript Reporter

Captain Jennifer Cochran starts her 24 hour duty at 6 a.m. every third day of the week, and she wouldn’t trade her career for anything.

It is the job where you can be watching MTV’s Buckwild one minute, and on the scene of a fatal car accident the next.
It is the life of a paramedic.

“I work 10 full days a month and get to really help people, I wouldn’t trade it for any other career,” Cochran said.

Cochran knew she wanted to be a paramedic in high school, so she decided to ride along with someone she knew in the fire department to make sure it was the right fit for her.

She loved the energy and it felt right, so she began her first EMT-B class. Upon completion of the course and obtaining a license, she worked for a private ambulance service and then joined Delaware County EMS in 1997. Cochran was promoted to Lieutenant in 2000, and then to captain in 2011.

As Captain Cochran said she was able to expand what she calls her second family, as she oversees a larger group of crew members throughout the county.

“We spend a third of our lives together,” she said. “We fight, we take care of each other and we look out for each other.”

Cochran doesn’t exaggerate when she said she treats her crew like family. Cochran’s morning began at Coldstone Creamery to pick up a cake for Chuck’s birthday, a paramedic stationed at medic 7 in Harlem Township.

“I usually bake cakes for everyone’s birthday, but recently have just run out of time,” Cochran said.

Cochran said she has gotten anywhere from zero to 13 calls in a 24 hour shift. This shift appears to be a little different for her as I will be riding along, observing but not intervening.

I am told to stay in the vehicle unless I am told it is clear, and to remove myself if I feel I cannot stomach what is happening.

The two crew members on duty, Justin McLaughlin and Keith Tussey, said they have seen “just about everything.”

“The ones involving children are the worst,” McLauglin said. “Those are the ones that really stay with you.”

McLaughlin thinks back and remembers some really ridiculous circumstances that he witnessed.

Tussey and McLaughlin have been on hundreds of calls together, they tell me, and begin laughing in remembrance.

“The zit incident was probably the stupidest one,” they recall.

I sit wondering what the zit incident could even mean. They explain that a trucker at 2 a.m. had a zit that “wouldn’t stop bleeding,” so they took him to the hospital.

The two reminisce about calls they’ve had, pausing, to either laugh or remark on how serious or dangerous the situation really was.

“Delaware County is a tremendous place when it comes to resources made available to first responders and paramedics; we have about fifteen units just in this county and the population is only at 100,000,” McLaughlin said.

“You can’t throw a cat in the city without a unit responding,” he said. “We are also fortunate with the quality and range of hospitals nearby; Riverside has a great cardiac program, along with the burn center at OSU. We can transport two patients safely, but there are so many medics around here it’s not done very often.”

Tussey said that they both have kids so when they go home at 6 a.m. it’s nice because they’re still asleep.

“I’d rather have 24 hour shifts, than eight hour shifts and the only thing that really does pose a major problem, is that every third Christmas and Thanksgiving we have to work,” Tussey said.

Each county truck has three paramedics.

“Jenny tries to be the boss of us; we give her a rough time because we joke around a lot,” Tussey said. “She has to go on most calls, and when she is not needed she still often comes to supervise us. She cares about her job and the people we serve.”

Cochran tells me it is time to deliver the birthday cake, and I hop into her truck with my DCEMS jacket on, feeling slightly overwhelmed.

The ice cream cake sitting in the back next to a first-aide bag may have not been the right choice if we need to quickly respond to a call.

Cochran may not have thought the ice cream cake through because this is her life; she squeezes these errands in throughout the day with the ongoing possibility of needing to respond quickly to a scene whether it is life threatening or just routine.

Pulling up to Medic 7 in Harlem Township, a more rural area, seems quiet and slow paced, but boy am I wrong.

Birthday boy Chuck McNaab is inside with a wide-grin after receiving his red velvet-strawberry ice cream cake.

Cochran asked McNaab to give me a tour of their headquarters, and the tour turns into McNaab’s life story of becoming a paramedic.

“We are paid for what we are willing to do,” he said confidently. “Back in the day there was no guarantee you could get medical care, prior to that funeral homes had a bed in the back of the car you could hop on and they’d drive you to the hospital. Now, Delaware County has more than enough resources.”

“I started in 1997, and have been here 15 years now, I’ll be sixty when I can retire,” McNaab said. “But that’s ok, because I love this work.”

He also went on to explain how he quit the fire department because he got too banged up and it was taking a toll on his body.
“Doing EMS is a whole lot healthier, aside from back injuries,” McNaab said.

McNaab made a point of saying that patients come before pride.

“When someone is hurt we will work together to get the job done,” he said. “Sometimes after a call where someone dies we often say that we ‘killed one today,’ we may employ humor as a defense mechanism. We have debriefings for the really disturbingly gory things, but we also have our crew mates to depend on, and look to for support.”

McNaab said that sometimes patient stories really stay with you.

He told me about an alcoholic woman in the area who they would get called to at least once a week. Shaking his head, McNaab said that this woman treated the crew the same way every time, where she made two of the crew members bad guys and one would be the good guy.
“I like you, the other two, well those guys steal from me, and I know you can help me,” he said, mocking the woman.

“It is always something with her, but then we saw her out on a different call where she sober and not the patient,” McNaab said. “She said she was sorry and that she would bake us some cookies and sure enough she baked us the cookies, but then two weeks later we were back at her house and I was the ‘idiot’ again. That’s part of the job and you just really can’t let it get to you.”

“We have to go, we got a run,” said Cochran, hurrying in the room.

I hopped in the truck and learned there was a gas leak at a church, and Cochran will need to stage the scene in case anyone gets hurt.
“We are the furthest away we could possibly be,” said Cochran, as she stepped on the gas and the lights and sirens wailed.

I sat and watched the road as cars pulled over for us, reminding myself of why I am in this vehicle. While in route, the dispatcher told us that the call was cancelled and we were no longer needed.

Cochran asked me if I felt scared at all. Immediately I told her no, but also realized there was no time for panic, and understood what the paramedics had been explaining to me all day. That it is a job that cannot allow you to insert your own fears and anxieties into the situation. That to do so, would negatively affect the care of the patient, and would also make the job even more challenging than it already is.

“You get the sad ones.” Cochran said. “You get the ones where you get to save people, you also get to change people’s lives and intervene, we change showerheads, we clean bathrooms and you do it because you care and it is your job. One of the paramedics even calls to check up on his patients after two or three days to see how they are doing”.

“I try to not let any call get to me,” Cochran shrugs. “We go on so many runs we need to view every situation as an emergency and not panic, because if we panic everybody else panics. You have to be calm. I once thought about being a nurse, but the constant changing aspect of this job is what I love, and I could never be in a hospital all day.”

Paramedics live the life of a normal person for much of the day. One minute they are at a familiar Taco Bell, eating something they probably wouldn’t recommend to their patients, and the next minute they are at a suicide shooting wearing a bullet proof vest.
McLaughlin, jokingly said that his wife told him they are only married today because he goes away every third day.

Paramedics possess true dedication. They offer an unparalleled level of care to both their patients and their colleagues.

By Spenser Hickey
Assistant Copy Editor

The day before his assassination, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said in a speech that he had been to the mountaintop and looked upon “the promised land.”

On Martin Luther King Day, the OWU community celebrated both King’s legacy and the second inauguration of President Barack Obama, a step toward King’s promised land.

The celebration began with a breakfast in the Benes Rooms, included a noon presentation on King by Black Men of the Future and ended with a lecture by Professor Emmanuel Twesigye on Obama’s inauguration and King’s dream.

The breakfast’s main speaker was the Rev. Albert Brinson, a friend of King’s who was ordained by both King and King’s father.

The on-campus breakfast, which was held for the 20th year in a row, was conducted by Rosalind Scott, chair of the MLK Celebration Committee.

OWU and the Delaware community have been holding events in honor of Rev. King for 45 years, including a march from the Liberty Community Center to Grey Chapel in January 1968, when King was still alive.

Scott said 350 people attended this year’s event, including Delaware residents, students, local businessmen, and people from the Columbus area.

While tickets were $20 per seat, student tickets were available for free, and students were allowed to go to the event instead of classes, something Scott said may not have been widely known.

Black Men of the Future held a presentation on King in Hamilton-Williams Campus Center at noon, playing part of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Members also spoke about King, read poems and displayed artwork of King.

Sophomore Shakira Braxton, president of the Student Union on Black Awareness, which includes BMF as an umbrella organization, said in an email that she was “appalled” by the OWU community’s response to the presentation.

She said that, even with a microphone, members of BMF had trouble making themselves heard over the noise.

“Members of our community thought its ridiculous that a program like that was not more positively received,” she said.
Twesigye’s lecture focused on the relationship between King and Obama and whether Obama’s second inauguration showed that King’s dream of racial harmony had been realized.

“Without King there wouldn’t have been an Obama,” Twesigye said.

Twesigye spoke and showed a Powerpoint with notes on King’s dream and whether it had been realized with Obama’s inauguration.

“King’s dream has been partially incarnated and realized in Obama,” one slide read. Twesigye also described how Obama’s inauguration reflected King’s life and legacy. One of the Bibles used to swear him in was King’s personal Bible and had been provided by King’s family with a request that the president sign it. Before the inauguration, Twesigye said, Obama visited the monument with his family and “paid homage” to King.

After the events, Twesigye, Braxton, university chaplain Jon Powers, and politics and government professor Joan McLean all spoke in interviews about King’s legacy.

Powers said he saw King as being part folk hero, part prophet, and said that the larger than life folk hero aspect is emphasized over the prophetic image, which challenges us to look at ourselves.

All four of them agreed that King’s vision of an America with racial harmony had not been fully reached.

McLean said that “parts” of the dream had been realized, but that King championed the rights of all who have not had access to the American dream.

“We still have poverty, we still go to war too often, in his eyes I believe,” McLean said. “We’ve moved closer, but there’s still lots of what was contained in the dream to be looked at.”

McLean also mentioned that while the nation has elected an African-American president twice, there have only been seven African-American senators in history.

Braxton said that while the election of Obama is a tremendous step, “social and institutional racism and the discrimination of all people” are still issues today.

Powers said that today was “a very different world” from when he grew up in the 1950s and 60s, when lynchings and segregation still took place.

“There’s cultural and practical things that have changed,” he said.

He still sees “rabid…racist hatred” in America though, particularly targeted toward Barack Obama.
Powers, who was in college when King and Robert Kennedy were assassinated, said he fears the President may be assassinated as well.

“It only takes … one crazy person and a magic moment,” Powers said. “I have that fear. I’m not a worrier or a fearful person; this isn’t the way I want to live my life.”

He added that while he grew up in “violent times,” violence still exists today.

“When a congresswoman can be gunned down in open air, when people go into a movie theater or an elementary school and start randomly shooting, I can’t imagine those things happening when I was growing up,” said Powers. “In some ways it’s crazier.”

Braxton, Powers and Tweisgye each said that increased education would help address the ongoing problem of racism. Braxton said ignorance is a big part of discrimination, and that people need to meet members of other races personally, rather than relying on media-based stereotypes.

Twesigye added that both sides need to work together to combat prejudice and injustice.

Powers praised the University for having minority groups such as SUBA, BMF, Sisters United, ProgressOWU and Horizons International, and for classes offered by the sociology-anthropology, politics and government and black world studies departments.

“I think that those of us who fervently believe in King’s vision need to not give up, but to keep pressing forward on [educating],” said Powers, who described himself as a “hopeless optimist.”

By Ellin Youse
A&E Editor

Residents of Ohio Wesleyan’s Small Living Units [SLUs] experienced excited anticipation and careful consideration last weekend as they recruited and interviewed prospective new additions to their homes.

The SLUs’ recruitment period, or SLUsh week, is each SLUs’ opportunity to promote itself on campus and interview applicants who identify strongly with the house mission statement. Throughout the week, each SLU holds an open house event that allows OWU students to meet the residents of the house and learn more about the SLU’s mission and involvement. Those interested in applying for a SLU can pick up an application and schedule an interview.

The number of applicants the SLUs ask back to the house depends on several variables, the first being the number of graduating seniors in the house. The second is the maximum occupancy of the house–for example, the Modern Foreign Language House (MFL) can hold 10 occupants maximum, while the House of Peace and Justice can take up to 17. Because each house has a limited number of open spots, senior Colleen Waickman, a resident of the Women’s House, said makes the decision process tiresome as it requires an intense amount of deliberation.

“It takes time and dedication to decide how you and your housemates would like your community to look in the coming year,” Waickman said. “Furthermore, there are so many amazing applicants and only a few spots that open each year, making decisions really tough. Although SLUsh week can be exhausting, it’s still very exciting and totally worth it.”

The SLUsh process isn’t just nerve-wracking for the current residents. Junior Kevin De La Cruz, a Citizens of the World House (COW) resident, said the SLUsh process is “definitely stressful” for the applicants hoping to find their home in a SLU.

“It’s just like anything that takes control out of your hands,” he said. “Not knowing whether or not you’ll be living exactly where you want to live can make anyone nervous.”

Junior Erin Parcells, a resident of MFL, agreed that the SLUsh process can be overwhelming as an applicant.

“You obviously like the house’s theme or you wouldn’t have applied,” she said. “You obviously expressed interest in living in the house so you want the people living in the house to like you in your 15-minute allotted time slot, so, yes, it is nerve-wracking.”

Parcells said that while the process can be intimidating, applicants usually feel more comfortable during their interviews, which often become effortless conversation. As for the residents, Parcells said SLUsh is “just really exciting.”

“It’s so cool to see so many people interested in your house, and you can only take it as a compliment,” Parcells said. “This year we had just shy of 30 applicants. It’s very flattering.”

The kind of occupant desired by a SLU is also variable, but this time in relationship to the applicant’s passion for the SLU’s mission statement.

“I can only speak for MFL, but we usually want someone who is rich and popular. Oh, and attractive,” Parcells said, laughing. “Kidding! We look for someone who’s super interested in languages and cultures, someone who gets excited when talk of travel comes up and is excited about going through the process and about us.

“We think it’s really important when someone loves the house without ever saying those words. People who really love language and culture can easily talk about how great language and culture are, without ever having to say exactly that. We never go for popularity; we go for people who we believe would do really well in the house and would contribute a lot to it.”

According to De La Cruz, extensive conversation and passion for the mission of the house are crucial during the SLUsh process because the applicants are not just applying for housing, but for community.

“Unlike dorm life, SLU life connects you with a community of people who share your same passions and interests,” De La Cruz said. “In a SLU you’re not only living with friends, you’re living with people who you can relate to, and who relate to you.”

In keeping with the idea of community, Parcells said an applicant who has little interest in the house mission and is mostly interested in a living option outside of the dorms and easy to spot. But for those individuals who are intensely driven and interested in finding others who are equally passionate, Parcells said the SLUs are the ideal home.

“To me, there is nothing cooler than living in a house with a bunch of my closest friends on campus and concentrating on a subject that I love,” Parcells said.

“People who are just as enamored with a subject as you are teach you things everyday. God bless the SLUs.”

By Hannah Urano
Transcript Correspondent

The Fort Bragg mission trip team will be repeating their babysitting fundraiser on Valentine’s Day, watching the children of faculty and staff members so they can enjoy a romantic evening alone.

Coming off of the success of their first babysitting fundraiser in late November, the mission trip team decided to take advantage of Valentine’s Day by offering another childcare session as part of their continued effort to raise $1,700 before their trip in March.

Vinciguerra said the main reason the team offers babysitting is that it will be working with children on the base.
Assistant Chaplain Lisa Ho brought her 2 1/2-year-old twins to the November childcare session, which was held in the Crider Lounge in the Hamilton-Williams Campus Center.

According to Ho, this type of setting made her and her husband feel more comfortable leaving their children in the care of students.
“It felt like someone’s living room,” she said. “They could watch a movie on the TV, color or just run around with the other kids.”

Registrar Shelly McMahon, who brought her 4-year-old son, shared the same sentiments.

“I think the group setting with several students involved made my husband and I feel more comfortable than leaving our son with an in-home sitter,” she said. “The age of the students, their maturity level, and knowing Public Safety is just around the corner put my mind at ease.”

According to Vinciguerra, making parents, as well as children, feel comfortable was one of their main concerns.

“Not only do the faculty know us from class, but many of our team members are CPR certified, education majors or have prior experience with children,” she said. “We also take emergency contact forms from parents and pay special attention to allergies.”

Sarah Dubois, administrative assistant to the Chaplain, said her 15-month-old son had a great time while she and her husband were able to go out to dinner.

“It’s really a win-win situation; parents are able to enjoy some time to themselves while supporting a great cause,” Dubois said.

Vinciguerra said she hopes the Valentine’s Day event will draw a larger crowd. The session will be from 5-8 p.m. in the Crider Lounge and the suggested donation is $20 per child.

By Emily Hostetler
Transcript Correspodent

Ohio Wesleyan students and faculty will make history this spring break as they travel to the Fort Bragg, N.C., military base to help children whose parents are deployed.

The Fort Bragg mission trip team will be the first college group to volunteer at a military base over spring break, which has garnered national recognition from President Barack Obama’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge. The trip will serve as a pilot program for possible implementation in 250 other colleges and universities nationally.

Junior Rachel Vinciguerra, Fort Bragg mission trip team leader, proposed the idea of traveling to a military base to help children in the summer.

“The military is really distant for a lot of people, so this is a way to connect,” she said. “Part of the reason it’s a pilot program is because we aren’t sure how it’s going to work out and because it’s pretty restricted to where we can go on the base.”

While base restrictions may be an obstacle, senior Amanda Boehme, the team’s reflection leader, said the trip will focus on immersing the team in military life and culture.

“Generally, military culture isn’t portrayed the right way in the media,” Boehme said. “We aren’t just going to see soldiers; we are going to see families and experience all of their ups and downs.”

Vinciguerra said there are a few different aspects to the trip.

“We are trying to figure out where we will be most helpful … The plan is to work with kids whose parents have been deployed in Afghanistan,” she said. “There is also an interfaith component because there are lots of different chaplains on the base. There are a lot of OWU alumni in the Ft. Bragg area who also want to help.”

Chaplain Jon Powers will be one of the two faculty members traveling with the ten students on the mission team. He said the team has been meeting weekly to learn more about what they will be experiencing during the trip.

According to the mission team pamphlet, 25 percent of Ft. Bragg residents are under the age of 18. Powers said the children on the base are not deprived like the inner city where they have nothing. Because of this, the team will learn about the different faiths represented on the base, and the challenges the children face with parents who are deployed.

“Our team is focused on learning everything we can about military family life,” Powers said. “Never before in America has a group of college students gone on spring break to serve children on a military base. It’s all experimental.”
Two years ago, OWU became a founding member of the national interfaith service learning. During the White House Conference for the program over the summer, Powers was able to discuss the Ft. Bragg mission trip which kick-started the pilot program.

“It’s never been done,” he said. “They (Ft. Bragg chaplains) are excited about it but they are also saying, ‘Well gosh, we just don’t know.’ One chaplain says this is unreasonable and another chaplain says, ‘But of course we can.’”
The mission team held an American-themed luncheon last week to raise money for the trip. It also offered a babysitting service for the community, which allows team members to become more comfortable working around children.
Powers said the team wants the local community to be involved, both through alumni connections at the base and through veterans.

“As part of our fundraising, Rachel and I are sending letters to all 22 of the VFW posts in central Ohio inviting them to be part of our project even if just listing that, ‘We want to support you,’ to giving us financial aid, sending veterans over to meet with us or sending team members to meet with them after the trip,” he said.

While the team members want to help the children of military families, they are also seeking ways to better themselves.

“We are giving people on the team the opportunity to be immersed in military life and discover qualities about themselves they weren’t aware of before,” Boehme said. “Mission teams give them (team members) time to be silent, gather their thoughts and think.”

Freshman Natalie Geer, a Fortt Bragg mission team member, said she loves working with kids and hopes to learn more about the children living on the base.

“We hardly know what military life is like and the effects it has on the kids,” she said. “Living from day to day without knowing if mom and/or dad is alive or when they come home is something many people overlook.”

Junior Anthony Peddle, a Fort Bragg mission team member, lived on the Fort Bragg military base as a child.

“I can’t wait to share my experiences with the kids there and show them that even though your family isn’t always together, you’re always together in spirit,” he said.

“And that there is something bigger than this military base that is two counties big, something a lot larger and more meaningful that they’re a part of, even if they don’t realize it.”

When the team returns from Fort Bragg, all of the information collected while planning, executing and concluding the trip will be gathered and sent to the White House for an assessment of the pilot program.

“The idea is to then share this to say if we can do it–and here’s how we did it–maybe other schools can do it at other military bases,” Powers said.

By Taylor Smith
Copy Editor

The influenza scare that swept the country this flu season may be nearly over, as influenza activity seems to be decreasing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

During the week of Jan. 13 through 19, a total of 47 states have reported “widespread” influenza activity, compared to 48 states the previous week, the CDC said.

At Ohio Wesleyan and in the surrounding area, the disease hasn’t been as present as it has been in other parts of the country, but students and staff are still being cautious.

Randi Peterson, staff nurse at the OWU Student Health Center, said eight students have been diagnosed with influenza or influenza-like illness (ILI). Others are still preparing themselves to defend against the disease.

“We have had 292 students/staff been vaccinated on campus,” Peterson said in an email. “This does not count people vaccinated by their home doctor or pharmacy, just the ones that we did.”

Peterson said vaccines are also available at local pharmacies like Walgreens, CVS, Kroger and Meijer.

Bryan Lee, a pharmacist at CVS on South Sandusky Street, said the pharmacy has administered somewhere between 700 and 800 influenza vaccines this year. He said the pharmacy’s supply of influenza medicine and antibiotics has run out multiple times this year.

Walgreens pharmacist Jennifer Clifford had similar results. She said her staff gave 650 to 700 vaccinations this year.
In an email sent to students on Jan 19, Ohio Wesleyan reached out to students, offering advice on the prevention, symptoms, treatment and complications that may arise with influenza. Peterson said students could also access the Self-Care Information page at health.owu.edu for more advice on influenza and the cold.

Peterson wasn’t able to provide information on why there has been such as large flu outbreak at the national level.
According to the CDC, the reason for the large outbreak is that the vaccine given to recipients combats only one of the influenza strains that affect humans effectively. The vaccine is 60 to 70 percent effective against Influenza A strains, but is only 10 percent effective against the Influenza B strain.

The amount of Influenza B infections this year has doubled, leading to a greater rate of hospitalizations and deaths.
Most of these hospitalizations and deaths have occurred among young children (infants to 4-year-olds) and the elderly (ages 65 and up).

By Sophie Crispin
Transcript Correspondent

Another round of renovations are in order for the historic Strand Theatre, thanks to a $125,000 donation from Delaware County Bank.

Located at 28 E. Winter St., the Strand is one of the top five longest continuously run theaters in America. At 96-years-old, it’s no surprise the historic theatre is being renovated by its parent company, The Strand Theatre and Cultural Arts Association.

“The Delaware County Bank donation will be a five-year commitment that includes financial concessions, gifts-in-kind and a multi-year pledge,” said Jay Wolf, Delaware County Bank vice-president of marketing and customer relations.
The donation will go toward renovating the east theater. It follows five years of efforts by the Strand Theatre and Cultural Arts Association to plan and raise money for renovations.

“The board of directors has looked into various options to start improving the property, and when we approached the Delaware County Bank, they were extremely excited to be a part of helping to improve the theatre and the community,” said Joni Brown, president of the Strand Theatre and Cultural Arts Association.

The east theatre renovation project will include new acoustic wall covering, floors, seating and wheelchair accessible spaces in the front and back of the theatre. A digital projection booth and new sound system have already been installed.

A new heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system will also create a more comfortable environment for moviegoers.

“It’s basically a whole new theatre,” said Harry Pape, a Strand Theatre employee, in summation.

The Strand hopes to balance old and modern while renovating parts of the theatre by preserving the functional and structurally sound historical parts of the theater. They will also update it to include the “creature comforts” of a large multiplex theatre, according to Brown.

Brown hopes to see the east theatre renovations completed in March, before spring movie releases.

“We have three screens, but we’ll be down one until the renovation is done, so we’re hoping to have them all running before the busy movie season starts,” Brown said.

The Strand Theatre is expected to be the center of a new Delaware “Arts District,” according to Wolf.

By Emily Feldmesser
Transcript Correspondent

A new year brings a new semester to Ohio Wesleyan, and after a three week winter break, students are getting readjusted to life on campus.

Freshman Adelle Brodbeck said the week classes reconvened was the busiest she’s had at OWU. Senior Rebecca Muhl had a similar experience.

“I had a really busy schedule the first week back because of the demand of my leadership positions in organizations,” she said.

Junior Emily Perry said preparing for formal recruitment took up her schedule. Because of recruitment, she didn’t have a lot of time to get all of her books and “make sure the little things were in order before starting the semester like I normally have time for.”

Students must also transition back to having a roommate and living with other people.

Junior Katasha Ross said her biggest adjustment was “readjusting from the privacy of home to living in a house of ten girls,” she said. “I can’t live entirely on my own schedule because I need to consider my roommate now.”

Muhl said she enjoyed the privacy her home allowed her.

“I definitely miss having my own space and my own room. The dorms are pretty loud, too, so I did appreciate that my house was quiet,” she said.

Freshman Ann Sharpe said the biggest adjustment coming back to OWU was her diet.

“I was able to eat healthy over break and the food selection here is much less appealing, because we have limited options,” she said.

Sharpe said she was looking forward to getting back to academic life at OWU.

“Towards the end of the break, I felt myself getting eager to be a student again,” she said.

Sophomore Liam Dennigan said he was getting mentally “stagnant” during the break.

“I was looking forward to learning new things in different classes,” he said.

Muhl said she enjoyed the luxury of “having any free time” at home.

“I feel as though I value alone time more than I thought I would,” she said. “There just aren’t enough hours in the day to do homework and extracurricular activities, which leads to sleep deprivation for me,” said Ross.

While at OWU, Dennigan missed watching television with his sister, particularly the series Homeland.
Familial relationships were also something Sharpe missed while on campus.

“I miss my family,” she said. “Nothing compares to those goofy, easy-going relationships I have with my parents and my brother.”

Week of Jan. 15-21

Jan. 15 11:00 a.m. – An ARAMARK supervisor reported a missing radio to Public Safety.

Jan. 15 4:41 p.m. – Public Safety was dispatched to Hayes Hall on a drug report.

Jan. 15 10:41 p.m. – Public Safety was dispatched to Bashford Hall on a marijuana suspicion report.

Jan. 16 7:55 p.m. – Public Safety was dispatched to Welch Hall on a bicycle theft report.

Jan. 17 12:08 a.m. – Public Safety was dispatched to Bashford Hall on a marijuana report.

Jan. 21 1:31 a.m. – Public Safety was dispatched to 30 Williams Drive due to a fire alarm set off by burnt food.

Week of Jan. 22-27
Jan. 22 6:50 p.m. – Public Safety was dispatched to Ross Art Museum due to an alarm going off. They reset the alarm.

Jan. 23 1:00 p.m. – An OWU student reported to Public Safety that her purse was stolen, containing her ID Card, a credit card, driver’s license, and $95 in cash.

Jan. 23 6:03 p.m. – Public Safety was dispatched to Smith Hall on a drug offense report. Delaware Police Department was notified.

Jan. 24 1:10 a.m. – Public Safety was dispatched to 10 Williams Dr. to reset a smoke alarm.

Jan. 24 1:30 p.m. – A theft was reported in Bashford Hall.

Jan. 24 2:00 p.m. – Buildings and Grounds reported a fire extinguisher was stolen from Welch Hall.

Jan. 24 8:00 p.m. – An OWU student requested transport to Grady Hospital on a welfare concern.

Jan. 26 3:50 p.m. – Public Safety was dispatched to Smith Hall on a welfare concern for a Chartwells employee.

Jan. 26 7:50 p.m. – Public Safety was notified of a water leak in Smith Hall West and contacted Buildings and Grounds, the Residential Life Coordinator, and ARAMARK.

Jan. 26 3:30 p.m. – Public Safety was dispatched to Bashford Hall on a marijuana report.

Jan. 26 5:25 p.m. – Public Safety was dispatched to Hayes Hall on a marijuana report.

Jan. 27 12:00 a.m. – Public Safety was dispatched to Welch Hall on a welfare concern. The student refused treatment.

Jan. 27 3:20 a.m. – Public Safety was dispatched for a safety transport request for an OWU student by Delaware Police Department.

Jan. 27 12:30 a.m. – An OWU student requested transport to Grady Hospital on a welfare concern.

Jan. 27 3:40 p.m. – An OWU student requested transport to Grady Hospital on a welfare concern.

Jan. 27 10:00 p.m. – Public Safety was dispatched to Bashford Hall after a student reported that his window had accidentally been broken by a snowball.

By Haley Cooper
Transcript Correspondent

From SkyZone with Phi Gamma Delta (Fiji) to Broom Ball with Delta Tau Delta (Delt), fraternity rush events have been bouncing their way into the past week.

Unaffiliated men have been getting involved with the rush events held by Ohio Wesleyan’s eight fraternities.
Sophomore Paul Priddy, vice-president of recruitment for Sigma Phi Epsilon (Sig Ep), said the fraternity’s Casino Night event was successful.

“We had a great showing of quality guys who I hope can have an immediate positive impact in our house,” he said.
According to sophomore Philippe Chauveau, 40 unaffiliated men went to SkyZone, an indoor trampoline park, with the brothers of Fiji.

“I think it went great,” he said. “We had a lot of people sign up for it, including guys that we, as a fraternity, have never met. This means we are expanding to all corners of the OWU community.”

Sophomore Caleb Dorfman said Delta Tau Delta hosted Broom Ball.

“Broom Ball is basically like hockey, but you use brooms and don’t wear ice skates,” he said. “It went well. We had a good number of rushes turn out, which was good.”

Freshman Matt Spatz said rushing has helped him meet new people.

“Most of the people I know are swimmers, and I spend every day with them,” he said. “It’s fun to meet new people that you aren’t around 24/7,” he said.

Spatz said he was a little crunched for time when it came to attending the fraternity rush events.

“They tend (to) avoid athletic practices, but after practice, some people still have homework to do, which makes it tough to make all of the rush events,” he said.

Freshman Nicholas Fonseca said he thinks the rush events are planned out very well.

“When it comes down to it, if you want to go to an event, you’ll find or make time for that rush event,” he said.
There are many different reasons why unaffiliated men join fraternities. I joined Delt because I got along really well with the brothers and I wanted to be apart of something bigger than me,” Dorfman said.

According to Priddy, Greek life is the opportunity to become a better person.

“The bonding, whether it be brotherhood or sisterhood, defines all those who become members,” he said. “It is a way to propel yourself into the real world with a distinct advantage above the rest, as well as becoming a more well-rounded and complete person.”

Priddy said Sig Ep is involved in philanthropy and scholarship programs, as are all other fraternities on campus.
“I joined Sigma Phi Epsilon for the tremendous opportunity available, the Balanced Man Program, which makes SigEp stand out among the Greek community,” he said.

According to Priddy, the Balanced Man Scholarship is a continuous development experience focused on scholarship, leadership and life skills that complement a university’s classroom curriculum.

Fraternity rush events will continue until Feb. 11 when prospective members can sign formal offers, called bids, to join.

“My advice to unaffiliated men is to just keep an open mind. Just go out and meet the guys,” Chauveau said. “There really is no commitment if you don’t want to join, no hard feelings whatsoever.”

“Go to events and try to meet some guys. You might find a fraternity that suits you really well.”