Opinion – Page 8 – The Transcript

A few thoughts and a final farewell

I can’t believe I’m writing my final op-ed piece as editor-in-chief. I have been dedicated to The Transcript since my first semester freshman year. It feels as though I’m leaving my family, or someone I really, really like.

I struggled to think about what I should write about. I’ve already written about how this paper has improved my self-confidence and writing skills. I’ve also written about how thorough the journalism department and The Transcript, I found people that are now integral parts of my life.

So I’ve decided to write something about the recent issues concerning The Transcript and the faculty meeting.

Since I became editor in January 2015, I have always sent a reporter to cover faculty meetings.

Normally, nothing remarkable happens in them. In fact, they’re normally quite boring. But this semester, members of the faculty have taken issue with our presence. They think because we having a sharing agreement with The Delaware Gazette that our reporter is somehow connected to the Gazette. That is completely and utterly false.

Another issue is that some faculty members don’t feel comfortable with our pieces being published in the Gazette. That makes me roll my eyes, because we publish online. People from around the world read us. We are no long an insular publication like in years past. We are not out to get faculty members and start a witch hunt. The rationale I have behind covering these meetings is to let students, parents and families, and the shareholders and stakeholders, know what is going on in this institution. I don’t think it’s a lot to ask for a bit of transparency.

As I hurtle toward real-life, I have no regrets with how I’ve managed this paper. Actually, I’m extremely proud of everything I have done. My fellow editors and reporters have done everything, and more, that I’ve asked of them. I don’t know how I would’ve managed without them, to be quite frank.

This faculty meeting issue will not be solved in an hour-long meeting or a few weeks. This is obviously something that has touched the nerve of many, and there needs to be some sort of compromise. However, I will not back down in advocating for reporters to be at faculty meetings. I stand by all of my decisions.

I have put blood, sweat and tears into this publication. I don’t regret any of my sleepless nights, my anxiety attacks or mistakes I have made along the way. This paper has made me into who I am; how I identify myself at Ohio Wesleyan. It is probably one of my proudest accomplishments not only at OWU, but also in my life.

It’s a shame that the ending of my tenure as editor is being marred by controversy. But hey, I would rather go out with a bang rather than a whimper.

The war on Christmas or just marketing?

Before reading further, I might suggest you put down your red Starbucks cups and take a seat because things are about to get real.

Every year, people eagerly await the unveiling of the infamous “Christmas” cup. The Christmas cup that usually is red and covered in snowflakes, snowmen and everything winter, not so much Christmas.

The recent unveiling of the Starbucks coffee cup has enraged many of the company’s coffee addicts, but could this be just a genius marketing stunt concocted by the worldwide caffeine providers?

By Starbucks providing a cup that completely abandons the idea of “Christmas” and “Holiday,” by not printing any graphic of the cups, they were attempting to represent the point of being “politically correct.” This enraged many and bloggers continuously shared their opinions over all forms of social media, whether in support or not.

Regardless of whether or not people believe that Starbucks was contributing to the “War on Christmas,” Starbucks did something only some can find as brilliant. With little to no further advertisement, the company received an incredible amount of publicity.

By producing a plain red cup, the awareness for company and the issue they are supporting has increased and so have the sales throughout the holiday season.

Much like Coca Cola’s sly advertisement campaign of putting names on the bottles and cans, Starbucks captured the same concept. Whether people support the campaign or not.

*Free t-shirt not included

OWU's Parking Problem by Blake Fajack '16. — OWU’s Parking Problem by Blake Fajack ’16.

Access denied

By: Dr. Thomas Wolber

Ohio Wesleyan University is justifiably proud of “the quality and accessibility of its faculty” (“Catalog” Introduction). Yet at the Nov. 16 faculty meeting, half a dozen duly elected members of the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs and bona fide reporters from the student newspaper, The Transcript, were denied access to the deliberations of the faculty, which included several topics of direct relevance to students.

Why was this unprecedented step taken? The conflict seems to have been triggered by Transcript stories appearing in the local newspaper, the Delaware Gazette. This has been happening for a while now and is rooted in a mutually beneficial arrangement between the two papers.

Transcript reporters see a wider distribution of their articles whereas Gazette readers receive information about OWU from student insiders. However, the arrangement meant that the monthly faculty meetings had become a public media venue, which was not to the liking of some faculty members. Concerns over journalistic standards and misrepresentations were voiced and privacy issues were raised. Primarily, however, it seems that many faculty members were worried that the presence of the press may lead to a situation where free and open discussion about contentious and sensitive issues might be stifled.

And this is, in my mind, the crux of the matter. We live in uncertain times. Many colleges and universities in Ohio and elsewhere, both public and private, are experiencing tremendous difficulties.

Institutions have been shuttered or merged, departments and programs eliminated, and faculty positions frozen or cut. This is an era of retrenchment, austerity, and exigency, and there is widespread fear and anxiety about what the future will hold. Across the nation, the faculty’s social status and standard of living are eroding; their very survival is at stake. The status quo is no more, and there are worried conversations about what the new norm might be. What was radical and unthinkable only a few years ago, is now being openly discussed. Maybe the unnerved faculty, especially from more vulnerable disciplines and departments, are instinctively sensing that control is slipping through their fingers and that ugly battles and wars might be ahead of them.

Change is never easy, especially if you are not the one driving it. We know from history and politics what effects the experience of displacement, disempowerment, and dispossession can have. It can lead to heated arguments, imprudent statements, disregard for established norms and values, and raw hostility. In their bewilderment, people start looking for scapegoats for either they do not understand the real reasons for what is happening, or if they do they feel helpless against the inexorable forces of destiny.

I, for one, view the exclusion of WCSA and The Transcript from the last faculty meeting as just one such event. Neither the students nor the press are not the faculty’s adversary; they are their natural allies and partners. It would be a strategic error to alienate them. The current fissure between the faculty and the students is an unfortunate distraction and a false dichotomy. In addition, the measure has done considerable harm to the faculty’s and the institution’s reputation and may negatively impact student recruitment and donor giving in the future. Therefore, the faculty’s student exclusion act of 2015 must be rescinded. Elected WCSA students should be readmitted immediately. Then reasonable students, faculty, and administrators should sit together, start a constructive dialog, and negotiate a balanced accord that ensures The Transcript access to faculty meetings on the one hand while protecting and preserving legitimate faculty interests on the other. Perhaps the student newspaper is willing to voluntarily suspend the arrangement with the Delaware Gazette for faculty meetings only while leaving it intact in other areas? In any case, for people of good will there is always plenty of common ground to be found.

Soapbox articles are unique platforms in which any member of the OWU community can “get up on their soapbox” and discuss any issue in 400 to 1000 words. Soapbox articles can be submitted on owutranscript.com using the Submit Your Story link on the upper left.

Dr. Thomas Wolber is an associate professor of German at Ohio Wesleyan. He teaches all levels of German language, literature and civilization. In addition to those subjects, he specializes in comparative literature and environmental studies.

Obsession to the highest degree

I’m the kind of person who fixates on things. I definitely have an obsessive personality, so once I’m interested in something, I really don’t let go. And the same goes with albums. Rather, sections of albums.

Lately, I can’t stop listening to The Clash’s 1983 album, Sandinista! Actually, I can’t stop listening to the second disc. There are 36 songs on the album, which means I’ve been listening to the same 18 songs over and over again. Not that I mind.

When I try to listen to different music, I can’t get into it. I truly have no explanation as to why I’m so fixated on this section of the album. And Sandinista! isn’t the only culprit in this weird habit I have. For example, within the past few days, I can only listen to the second side of Bruce Springsteen’s The River. The first side? I mean, it’s good. But the second side is what is permanently on my mind.

These albums consume me. Not only is this the only music I can bear to listen to, these songs are permanently stuck in my head. I fall asleep with them circling my brain, and even before I open my eyes in the morning, they start yet again. Instead of doing schoolwork, I do research on the albums. I mean, I ultimately get my work done, but it just delays the process.

Fixation on specific parts of albums is definitely a weird thing, which I completely understand. I wish I had some sort of rationale or reason as to why this happens, but I definitely don’t. I know it will continue, I just want to know what album is next.

Bye bye stereotypes

By: Gopika Nair, Copy Editor

Actress Arden Cho. Photo courtesy of jackfroot.com.

I love movies, I love television shows and I love the world of make-believe so much that I grew up wanting to be a part of it. But as a kid, I had the disappointing realization that none of the leading ladies in Hollywood were anything like me.

They were rarely Indian, and if they were, they probably had a thick accent for ill-suited comedic effect along with a storyline about arranged marriages.

As a woman of color, I’m tired of seeing these overused tropes, and I’m not alone. The actors are tired, too.

After Deadline reported on the casting of the film “Death Note” on Nov. 12, Arden Cho, known for her role as Kira Yukimura on “Teen Wolf,” tweeted, “Great, another Hollywood feature film casting all white leads for a Japanese manga … Long way to go for Asians when we can’t even book animes.”

Cho has previously been vocal about turning down roles which feature “superhot Asian trophy wives with thick accents,” and took to Twitter in 2014, requesting writers and filmmakers write better roles for Asian actors.

The lack of worthwhile roles in Hollywood isn’t a problem that’s exclusive to Asian actors, however. It affects all actors who are women of color.

On Sept. 20, Viola Davis became the first African American woman to win an Emmy Award for best actress in a drama.

In her acceptance speech, Davis addressed the lack of roles for women of color in the entertainment industry.

“The only thing that separates women of color from anyone else is opportunity,” she said. “You cannot win an Emmy for roles that are simply not there.”

Out of several hundred network shows currently on air, only “The Mindy Project” is created, produced and written by a woman of color, Mindy Kaling.

Even shows that promote diversity, like “Modern Family,” often rely on one of the character’s accent for humor.

Actress Sofia Vergara. Photo courtesy of the Forbes website.

Unlike some women of color in Hollywood, Sofia Vergara, who plays Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on “Modern Family,” isn’t faking her accent. But her character does get ridiculed by the other characters often.

In an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine, Vergara said that there aren’t many ideal roles for Latina women in Hollywood.

Many untold stories about the lives of women of color still exist. So, ditch the tropes, writers.

Find new stories to tell. Tell stories about transgender women of color, gender-fluid people of color, non-binary people of color, bisexual women of color, asexual women of color and women of color with disabilities.

Tell stories that will earn Asian, Middle Eastern, African American, Latina and other women of color their Oscars, Emmys and Tonys. Keep telling those stories until a woman of color winning a prestigious award isn’t a complete rarity. Representation matters.

How to be sober (and have fun) in college

By: Liz Hardaway, Transcript Correspondent

You’re at a party at a popular fraternity. People are bumping into each other, slurring jokes, trying to laugh over the noisy upbeat dance music. Almost all the guests are toting the signature red solo cup, sipping on what is either a mystery jungle juice, or a typical Jack and Coke. Shot glasses line the wooden bar to your right and some guy who took at least six shots of tequila leans his hand on your shoulder, and asks if you would like to partake in their fun.

But is that really the only way you can have fun at school?

Of course not. College is about new experiences, and though that can include testing your limits, the hangovers get exhausting and maintaining fully functional motor skills can be surprisingly rewarding. So, for the weekends when you just don’t feel like getting hammered but still want to have a banger time at your smalltown liberal arts school:

Say no

Ultimately it’s your decision whether to drink, but if you don’t want to, be firm about it. Be confident about your decisions. After saying no, if someone is still trying to convince you to drink, they aren’t being a good friend.

“If you know and can articulate to peers why you are not partaking, they should respect that your value system is guiding your decisions,” says Melinda Benson, a Residential Life Coordinator.

No matter how many times your friends say you’re a better dancer drunk or you really do kill that karaoke stage when you sing, if you don’t want to drink, you shouldn’t have to drink. End of story.

Be social

When you look back on parties, football games, or any social event, it wasn’t drinking alcohol that made it a fun memory. Usually, this actually makes your memory a little fuzzy. From the parts you do remember, the socializing and activities are likely what made the memory special.

“No one has fun at a party, sober or not, if they’re standing in the corner by themselves,” says junior Nate Dedek, the social chair of Delta Tau Delta.

Being sober does not hinder the ability to have fun and socialize. A punch line would be more coherent, a story would be told more linearly, and it’s easier to meet people when you can actually articulate your words. Also, contrary to whatever vodka tells you, people are better dancers sober. “You don’t have to be intoxicated to dance. It’s easier to get into if you don’t have to worry about spilling a drink,” says Benson.

Think of the consequences

Sure, alcohol can be fun in moderation, but it also tends to make people lose control. A sober person would not behave the same way around a police officer as a drunk person. Run-ins with the law can turn a quarterback on a football team to a benched player or jeopardize a student’s future job opportunities. If a fraternity or sorority hosts an alcoholic event without registering it through the school, the consequences could range from fines to being kicked off campus.

“Before you get in a tough situation, spend some time reflecting on your values, and then let those guide you,” says Benson.

Join a club

Clubs are a great way to get involved on campus, meet new people, and have fun. C.L.E.A.R. (Choosing and Learning Environment with Alcohol Respect) is one of the main clubs at Ohio Wesleyan that strives to create a university environment not focused around alcohol. Riding roller coasters at King’s Island or attending a Columbus Blue Jackets game are just a few of the events C.L.E.A.R hosts in order to promote safety and sobriety.

“I think that students knowing that you don’t have to drink to fit in is a big way of knowing that it’s okay not to cave into peer pressure and do what everyone else is doing,” says junior Jeanette Chang, the president of C.L.E.A.R.

Alcohol should not be condemned, but it should also not be the epitome of a college experience.

In moderation, alcohol can be a good way to celebrate an achievement or let loose. However, personal safety and comfort are the most important factors in any situation. So, if you really don’t feel like entertaining the hot messes at the frat party, you can always ditch it and go see that new James Bond movie everyone and your grandpa has been dying to see.

*Free t-shirt not included

Out of State/International Students' Struggles by Mili Green '16. — Out of State/International Students’ Struggles by Mili Green ’16.

Jour Board calls for transparency

By: OWU Journalism Board

As members of the Ohio Wesleyan Journalism Student Board, we strive to uphold the Journalism Code of Ethics–one of the staples of this code being to report the truth and to minimize harm while doing so. It is never a reporter’s goal to misquote or exploit comments made; in fact, it is the exact opposite. As journalists we strive to understand. The decision to leave students out of the November 16 faculty and staff meeting is something we cannot comprehend.

Based on the precedence set by Verne Edwards, students at Ohio Wesleyan deserve to know what is discussed at faculty and staff in meetings. We understand the right of faculty to issue an executive session, however it must be justified. In this instance, the faculty neglected to conduct such a session yet still denied the entry of students.

True transparency between the university and students is hard enough to come by. It’s imperative that students are not barred from attending the meetings in which their education is discussed. It’s understandable for faculty members to want to be able to speak freely, but students do not need to be excluded for this to occur.

A faculty meeting is news. A faculty meeting in which students are excluded is news. As journalists it is not only our duty, but our passion to cover such events. Those who happen to be subjects of an issue do not have the right to determine whether or not it is newsworthy.

You’re only human

It’s nearing “that time of the semester” again. The weather’s getting colder and gloomier. Stress is visible on the face of every student. Anything with caffeine in it is flying off the shelves and out of the fridges at the Thomson convenience store. Mid-November is the beginning of the end-of-the-semester struggles, and the urge to give up and say “screw it” to all of your work is stronger than ever.

Well, I’m here to say, “Don’t give up.” Seriously, don’t. Don’t give up your mental health and sanity. Don’t give up on sleep and square meals. Don’t sacrifice yourself for an A instead of a B, or a B instead of a C. Don’t sacrifice valuable, limited time with your family this Thanksgiving by locking yourself in your room for a week to write an entire paper.

I’m not saying you should blow off your schoolwork. After all, tuition isn’t cheap and you’re here to learn the knowledge and skills you’ll hopefully need in your post-grad career.

I’m saying that sometimes you need to prioritize yourself and your health over squeezing in an extra hour of studying or writing a tenth draft of your paper. Like most things in life, preparing for exams is all about balance, and personal time needs to be part of that.

Basically, don’t let your academic goals get in the way of everything else in life. You may be a college student, but you’re also a friend, a family member and a human. Remember that.