The Transcript

By Maddie Oslejsek
Transcript Correspondent

President Barack Obama and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) recognized Ohio Wesleyan in September for its achievements in interfaith community service this year.

The university has been recognized on the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll every year since 2008. The award is divided into four categories: Top Award, Finalist, Honor Roll With Distinction and Honor Roll.

Of the ninety-eight schools honored for their efforts, thirty-eight were recognized on the Honor Roll With Distinction. OWU was recognized in this category under Interfaith Community Service, a new distinction that was introduced this year.

All documentable community service completed during the year by OWU students is recorded and reported to the CNCS by the men and women involved. To qualify for recognition under the new distinction, they included information and personal narratives about specific people and projects that reflected the university’s interfaith involvement locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

“Interfaith for us means engaging, voicing and acting on our love and respect of other faiths,” said University Chaplain Jon Powers.

The OWU Charter of 1842, which states, “The University is forever to be conducted on the most liberal principals, accessible to all religious denominations, and designed for the benefit of our citizens in general,” drives the university to embody the ideas of interfaith throughout the campus community, according to Powers.

The honor roll annually recognizes institutions that achieve meaningful and measurable outcomes in the communities they serve by solving community problems and directing more students on a lifelong path of civic engagement, according to the CNCS website.

“This award affirms, at the highest national level, the exceptional quality of interfaith life at Ohio Wesleyan and lets others know that OWU is a superb place to live and learn,” Powers said.

By Leah Budde
Copy Editor

President Rock Jones posed three questions to members of the Small Living Unit (SLU) community during a forum on Oct. 21st, starting a conversation about the collective future of the residences.

Several of the themed houses have been deemed physically and economically beyond repair. Ohio Wesleyan Residential Life and administration are beginning to share their plans for the future of the residences, and gather student opinions about those propositions.

“What do we value most about the SLU community?” Jones asked the forum attendees, including SLU house members and other interested students.

Jones also inquired about what the group desired in terms of physical facilities, and where on campus SLU members would most like to be relocated in the event that their houses are torn down.

Students were forward—and unified—with their opinions, stating that what they most value about being SLU members is living with like-minded people who have common passions, having a sense of privacy and independence from the rest of the campus and being able to support each other’s house projects – a requirement of each SLU once per year.

Many of the historical houses hold a large amount of sentimental value for their respective members. But, Jones explained that the cost of repairing the House of Peace and Justice, for example, would be comparable to building two entirely new SLUs.

Despite house members’ feelings of attachment, starting fresh would be “short term loss for long term gain,” according to senior Citizens of the World house member Ben Danielson.

Now, Jones said the university’s tentative plan is to build a “SLU village” of duplex-style residences on the lawn beside the House of Black Culture.

Sufficient funds have not yet been raised for the project, but Jones said that the university would like to begin demolition of two SLUs by the fall semester of 2016.

The main concern of younger SLU members is what will happen to them in the transition period before new houses are built.

According to sophomore Emma Nuiry, a member of the House of Peace and Justic,  “what we heard was they would basically be putting us in whatever open rooms they have on campus, which is really annoying because they are essentially revoking our SLU status. But then again I understand…the administration is going to do whatever is the most economically savvy choice.”

Some might call junior Dara Markus and seniors Jennifer Lloyd and Zach Paull over-involved. Markus is on the varsity women’s soccer team while also being philanthropy chair of Delta Delta Delta. Lloyd is on the education department student board, a member of Presidents Club, Orchesis, Terpsicorps and also holds the position of membership chair for Kappa Kappa Gamma. Paull serves on the Wesleyan Council of Student Affairs, works as a tour guide, is a member of the Owtsiders and is the secretary for Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity.

These impressive campus leaders have learned to juggle their classes, clubs and Greek organizations. Time management has been an asset and a skill throughout their OWU careers and they were willing to share their knowledge with the rest of the campus community.

The Transcript: How do you balance all the events in your life?

Dara Markus: I balance all the events in my life through careful planning and time management. The fall is always particularly hectic because I am in season so often times I find myself prioritizing events to complete them in an efficient and timely manner.

Zach Paull: I try to stay organized and keep a pretty detailed schedule with all of my responsibilities and have learned to regularly reflect on where my limits are at and where to find a balance.

Jennifer Lloyd: I definitely could not live without my planner and Google calendar.  I try to update both as frequently as possible.  Also, I often make to-do lists to track my daily assignments and responsibilities.

T: Do you ever feel like you’re overwhelmed?

DM: In college it is easy to feel overwhelmed, but am blessed to say I have such a strong support system within my house that always keeps me going.

If I ever feel overwhelmed with planning a philanthropy event, I know there are girls who would be more than willing to assist me in any way possible. It’s truly touching how strong the bonds of sisterhood are in Greek life. No matter what you are going through, you are never alone.

ZP: It’s easy to feel a bit overwhelmed when papers and projects are due or when it is a busy time in the semester, but I have learned to create a balance in my organizational involvement, schoolwork, and fraternity responsibilities.

JL: I try to keep everything in perspective and just take it one day at a time.  If I do have too much on my plate, I will reach out to my sisters, especially those on my committee, for their assistance.  They are always willing to help.

T: Do you prioritize Greek events over other clubs or organizations?

DM: I prioritize all events in my life because it is so important to live up to commitments. To get the most out of something you have to give it your all. Greek life has always and will always have a special place in my heart. Going Greek and joining Tri Delta and meeting my best friends has been the greatest experience and joy of my life.

ZP: My fraternity is a family to me, so if there is a scheduling conflict with another organization and a specifically important fraternal event like initiation, my fraternity would generally take precedent.

However, my fraternity does a very good job at trying not to have our events overlap with other large-scale campus events, especially those that are put on by student groups that our members that are involved in.

JL: It’s all about finding balance.  I am involved with other organizations on campus because I want a broad experience at Ohio Wesleyan and it’s important to me to honor the commitments that I have made to all the groups that I’m a part of.  With that said, I always enjoy going to the Greek events on campus, so I make time for as many as I can.

T: What advice do you have to freshmen going into Greek life and other organizations?

DM: The greatest advice I can give to freshman is to keep an open mind. You’ll never know what you’ll miss out on if you don’t branch out and try something new. The best part of getting is involved is meeting new people. Through my involvement on campus, I have met life long friends who I couldn’t imagine my life without

ZP: Joining a Greek organization is a definite commitment. However, the commitment that you make is worth the amazing experience and the close family like structure that you can make out of it. The level of involvement that you have can also vary depending on whether you hold a position or not. Generally, becoming a part of any organization requires a level of commitment that both benefits the group you are a part of. It is up to you to decide if it is something that you can donate your time and energy to and be happy at the end of the day.

JL: I would encourage freshmen to explore all that Ohio Wesleyan has to offer.  For me, joining Kappa was the best decision I have made in college.  The sorority experience has only enhanced my opportunities to be involved in other organizations on campus. 

It requires time management and planning, but it is doable to achieve balance with a variety of commitments.  Sororities are seeking well-rounded women who have a variety of interests and want to make it possible for their members to be involved in a variety of ways.

Ohio Wesleyan University’s former chaplain, Reverend Doctor James Leslie, died Friday, October 31.

According to current chaplain Rev. Jon Powers, Leslie was the first full time chaplain at Ohio Wesleyan, serving from 1960 until 1988.

According to Powers, Leslie was instrumental in helping establish many current groups on campus, such as Horizons International, the Student Union on Black Awareness (SUBA), and The House of Black Culture.

“He and his wife, Betty, raised five children in their home, but if a student needed to get off campus, he would always give them a meal and a place to stay. He would always find room to help people,” Powers added. “He was very close to our faculty, as well as our students.  And he was very close to custodians and food service people. He knew everybody’s name.  He was deeply loved by everyone who knew him.”

Leslie will be missed by many professors at OWU. One of these professors is Doctor Mary Howard, professor of Sociology-Anthropology, who is on sabbatical this semester.

“What a kind soul he was! And yet, he was driven by a passionate sense of justice and helped to inspire the campus to action whether it was a protest about our own country’s support of dictatorships or apartheid in South Africa,” said Howard. “He was the first person I knew of at OWU who worked to get students involved overseas with his Crossroads Africa and the Africa University in Zimbabwe.”

According to Powers, Leslie was a world traveler. Powers said when Leslie was fourteen years old, he traveled with his father to India, and sat in a hut talking with a man named Mahatma Ghandi.

Ghandi was not only influential person Leslie met in his lifetime of service.

“At the graduation ceremony from undergraduate school at Boston University, Leslie sat right next to … Martin Luther King, Jr.. They were classmates and friends,” Powers said.

Larry Heinzerling, OWU class of 1962, also knew Leslie very well:

“Jim was a very special person and great support in a time of tumult in the country over the Vietnam War, racial segregation in the South, urban poverty and other key issues of the 1960s. I was Transcript Editor when he helped raise funds so I could go to Washington with other student leaders from across the country to meet with Secretary of State Dean Rusk to protest the war, we worked together to bring a key Vietnamese diplomat to OWU to spend time with students explaining Vietnam,’s culture, and shared many conversations on a multitude of topical issues.”

Heizerling added that Leslie married he and his wife in 2001.

James (Jim) Leslie is survived by his wife, Betty, and his five children, 10 grandchildren, and one great grand child. He was 89 years old.

Title IX compliance continues to be an ongoing process and a source of heated debate at many universities, and Ohio Wesleyan is no exception.

The Title IX statute of the Educational Amendments of 1972 states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Because even private universities like Ohio Wesleyan take advantage of federal grant money, Title IX requires essentially every institution in the United States to provide equal opportunities to both men and women.

Athletics

In September, Val Cushman visited campus to conduct an audit of Ohio Wesleyan’s Title IX compliance regarding our athletic programs. Cushman is the former athletic director at Randolph Macon Woman’s College and former senior assistant to the president at Washington & Lee University.

The OWU President’s Office hosted a Title IX presentation on Oct. 27 at noon in Benes Room B in which Cushman shared her findings and recommendations.

Cushman said the focus of her Title IX audits is intercollegiate athletics, but the statute involves many other issues, such as the practice of prohibiting men from admittance into nursing programs, which is now illegal.

She said the law was challenged all throughout the 1970s and 1980s and the right away to interpret it is still being decided. The Department of Education Office of Civil Rights is responsible for enforcing and interpreting the law, but it is also interpreted through case law.

Title IX has three prongs: quantity of opportunities, proportionality and quality of athletic experience. Each prong is determined in a specific way.

Cushman said she has her own way of telling if an athletics program is meeting Title IX requirements.

“An athletics program can be considered gender equitable when the participants in both the men’s and women’s sports programs would accept as fair and equitable the overall program of the other gender,” Cushman said.

According to the chart on Cushman’s slideshow, the amount of female athletes in the U.S. doubled between 1970 and 1980, and has continued to grow since then. The amount of male athletes has also continued to grow, and there are still more male athletes than female athletes.

Skylar Drake ’14, who works for the President’s office and helped create the event, said the fact that the male athlete population has also increased under Title IX stood out to her.

“Equity doesn’t mean taking away men’s opportunities,” Drake said. “Everyone deserves to have access to the same resources.”

Cushman said football began at OWU in 1890, and many other male sports were added in the decades to follow. However, the first varsity competition for women wasn’t established until 1982, nearly a century later.

She also said that the roster sizes for most men’s sports at OWU exceed the suggested size set by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). For women’s sports, however, the roster sizes are nearly all smaller than the suggested size. For example, the OWU football team is composed of 122 athletes. The NCAA suggests 58.

“While you (OWU athletics department) made improvements for women, you grew your men’s roster even more,” Cushman said.

She said OWU’s facilities and equipment, among other facets of the athletics department, are equitable, but 70% of athletic recruiting expenditures go to men’s teams, with only 30% going to women’s teams.

Cushman said another issue is that OWU currently has no policy regarding how to respond to requests for new sports.

Cushman’s recommendations include adding a female senior administrator to the athletics department, setting team roster sizes and coming up with a long-term plan to establish more women’s teams.

“I have never recommended a men’s sport be cut,” Cushman said. “At division III institutions with established programs, I would be hard pressed to say a male athlete having a good experience should lose that opportunity.”

She also said she believes OWU’s athletic program is something to be proud of. “Your next claim to fame just might be gender equity.”

Sexual Violence

About twenty-five students came out to see OWU administrators discuss Title IX’s effect on sexual violence policies on Oct. 29 at noon in Benes Room C.

The event was hosted by the Women’s Resource Center and the panel included Richelle Schrock, women’s and gender studies professor; Kimberlie Goldsberry, Dean of Students; Michael Esler, coordinator of student conduct; Levi Harrel, residential life coordinator; and Douglas Bennet, Director of Counseling Services.

Senior Lo Rump, intern at the Women’s Resource Center, said the event came about because she and other interns had been hearing a lot about Title IX in the news and how it might change sexual violence policies, but they didn’t know much else about it. They thought many other students might be the same way.

“We wanted to bring together some administrators and people on campus to further explain what these changes were and how they pertain to OWU,” Rump said.

Panelists were each given the chance to share with the audience their thoughts and experiences regarding OWU’s sexual violence policies and Title IX’s effect on them.

Goldsberry said new laws and regulations are passed often, and so sexual violence policies are continually evolving.

“Oftentimes legislators are not familiar with the student experience on the college campus,” Goldsberry said. “They don’t always have that full knowledge, but I trust they’re doing the best they can with the info they have.”

She said a bystander intervention training program was started in October to teach faculty, staff and students how to properly intervene in crisis situations, including those regarding sexual violence. She said there will be four training sessions in November focusing on prevention.

In the past ten years, there has been “an explosion” of Title IX activity, Esler said. It began as an anti-discrimination edict, but has changed over time.

He also said the government assumes colleges are trying to conceal sexual violence on their campuses, but that is not always true. OWU has a higher rate of reporting sexual violence than many other universities, he said.

Harrel told the audience about the process that occurs when sexual misconduct is reported and said Title IX hasn’t had much of an effect on that. He said he becomes “very personally invested” in cases of sexual assault and that residential life staff are always there to help.

For more information about sexual violence at OWU, see Public Safety’s 2014 Clery Campus Safety Report on public safety’s website.