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Chance the Entertainer

My brothers and I have been fans of Chance the Rapper since his first mixtape, “10 Day,” dropped in 2011. So when our friend, a sophomore at Ohio State University, got us tickets to Chance’s OSU performance at the LC Pavilion Monday night, we jumped at them.

When Chance the Rapper came on stage, he reminded me and everyone else why this 21-year old mixtape king is already doing national tours. His first step onstage wasn’t so much a step at all; it was a leap. Chance is, apparently, his own hype man. The way the crowd started screaming and chanting “Chance the Rapper, Chance the Rapper,” it was obvious that Chance needs no formal introduction. He started with a few tunes from his “10 Day” mixtape before moving on to his “Acid Rap” mixtape songs, a few throwbacks to his early works and a cover of “Wonderful Day,” the theme song to the PBS cartoon “Arthur.”

“I guess I should properly introduce myself,” he said to the crowd. Taking a brief bow as if he was the conductor of an orchestra, he continued.

“My name is Chance the Rapper, and I’m here today to sing you a couple of songs from my new mixtape.”

Chance sounded exactly like I wanted him to; when he began singing, his voice was as clear and as personal as it is while I sit at my computer and blast his full album on YouTube. His voice isn’t the only thing that rings clear, though. The political commentary in his songs hit me with a stronger impact than any other rapper I’ve ever seen (a list that includes Nas, Most Def and Lupe Fiasco).

“They murder kids out here. Get Matt Lauer in here, Katie Couric in here,” he rapped about his hometown of Chicago in his song “Paranoia.”

When Chance is performing, he is highly attentive to his audience. He would often stop talking to throw a “woo hoo” at the audience, to which they would respond with a “woo hoo” to be returned to him. At one point in the show, Chance called out those on their phones, saying, “It’s cool if you want to film the show, but be part of the show.”

Chance has an incredible ability to entertain. Labeling himself solely as a rapper really doesn’t do him justice whatsoever; by doing so, he’s selling himself short.

A Q&A with Gary Brodek

Sophomore defensive end Gary Brodek. Photo: battlingbishops.com

After losing to Hiram College this weekend, Ohio Wesleyan’s football team is sitting 4-3. Although the defense has allowed 3 opponents to score thirty or more points, there have still been some defensive standouts.

Sophmore Gary Brodek is third in the NCAC in sacks (5.5) and fourth in tackles for a loss (10). Brodek is on track to bring home All-NCAC honors in his first season as a full starter.

The Transcript: How has Definsive-line coach Keith Rucker helped you be successful this season?

Gary Brodek: Coach Rucker has helped me understand the overall concept of our defense better. By spending multiple days a week watching practice and game film and being able to visually see mistakes and how to correct them.

T: What’s the first step to stopping Wittenberg’s offense?

GB: I think the first step to beating Wittenberg’s offensive is just coming out and being a more physical team and playing relentless owu defense like we have played in the past. We can use our athleticism to our advantage and get pressure on the QB, and force him to make mistakes.

T: What would it mean to be named all NCAC at the end of the season?

GB: Being named all NCAC at the end of the season would be a huge on honor. It would show all the hard work I have put into this off season at 6am lifting and spring ball has really paid off.

The tale of the missing Tri Delt

Ruth Baumgardner’s Delta Delta Delta composite photo from 1937. — Ruth Baumgardner’s Delta Delta Delta
composite photo from 1937. Photo from 1937 Ohio Wesleyan yearbook (Le Bijou)

This Halloween, instead of watching “Halloweentown” on Disney Channel with a stuffed ghost and hot tea, I’ve been researching with Delta Delta Delta’s faculty adviser, classics professor Lee Frantantuono, to unearth the mystery behind my missing sorority sister.

Ruth Baumgardner, 22, of Lakewood, Ohio, was last seen leaving her dormitory of Austin Hall on a spring finals week in the late 1930’s and went missing without a trace.

The mystery has never been solved, nor has it even come close to being solved, and is truly bone-chilling. An executive from the Travel Channel’s hit TV show “The Dead Files” recently contacted Megan Dill, Tri-Delta’s sorority president, searching for old photos of Baumgardner, assuming they were somewhere in our house, which was the first time any of us had ever heard about her story. In the attic we have hundreds of old composites and hers is most likely up there, covered in dust and left in the dark like her file at the police station has been for all these years.

While Frantantuono and I were searching for information, we found many old news articles, composites and, most importantly, the 1937 Ohio Wesleyan yearbook, titled “Le Bijou,” French for “The Jewel.’

So where did she go? Who took this young woman just as she was about to begin her future, or did she choose a different future of her own?

There are many different assumptions about what happened to Baumgardner. Some believe she was kidnapped, except her room was left in pristine condition. According to these accounts, the typically disorganized Baumgardener usually left her room disheveled.

Also complicating the issue of her kidnapping was that there was no evidence of foul play.

Other stories say she became too stressed and nervous before her tests and left with an unknown lover, leaving behind her beloved family and fiancée in her hometown.

Baumgardner was described to be wearing a brown sport suit, with a matching hat and brown suede gillie shoes that tied at the ankle. She had blonde hair and blue eyes, and an unusual light streak of hair on the left side of her head and a dimple on her chin.

This description was enough to freak me out, only because I also have a dimple on my chin and have an unusual dark streak of hair on my right side.

Her friends last saw her at 11 p.m. on May 4 with her hair in curlers and pins in her room in Austin Hall (now Austin Manor), room 319.

An article mentioned that she probably only had an old handbag and $5.00 in cash, and left behind her watch, sorority pin and loose change.

The investigators originally believed she suffered an amnesiac episode and wandered off.

To this day, no one knows what happened to her. Some claim they hear voices in Austin Manor of a female ghost. This Halloween, maybe if I go up to the third floor and call out “Ruthie,” I’ll find some answers or truth to the tale of the missing Tri-Delt.

Letter: Test optional policies will not lower value of OWU degrees

Barbara MacLeod. Photo: economics.owu.edu

By Barbara MacLeod

Last week The Transcript printed an article on the expansion of the GPA bar for allowing test-optional applications to Ohio Wesleyan. This has led to a misunderstanding amongst both faculty and students that the value of an OWU degree has been lowered.

I can assure you this is not true. Yes, Admissions is now allowing any student with a high school GPA of 3.0 or higher to apply to OWU without submitting ACT or SAT scores while the standard last year was a GPA of 3.5 or higher. But certainly we all recognize that an application does not equal admission. CAFA (Committee on Admission and Financial Aid) is the university committee charged with oversight of admission policy and we approved the current GPA guidelines after evaluating the results of last year’s policy.

We expect that this new policy will increase the pool of applicants, but – let me be very clear about this – it does not change OWU’s admission standards.

Most schools with a test optional policy, including Denison, have no minimum GPA requirement.

At OWU, we are maintaining a GPA minimum and at least two faculty review test optional files in the new range before an admission decision is reached.

A test-optional policy at Ohio Wesleyan has been under discussion at CAFA for at least four years. The initial impetus arose from faculty and students who did not believe that standardized testing, as currently practiced in the U.S., is a fair or just means of evaluating college applicants.

Our own studies show that the predominant predictor of success at OWU is an applicant’s high school GPA, so that is the factor on which we are focusing.

No admission decision, however, is made on any one factor, including that of standardized test scores for those applicants who submit them.

We continue to strive for a diverse and intellectually curious class at OWU that will engage the global questions of our world, produce leaders for the future, and have a great four years during their time here!

That has not changed, and the new policy will only open these opportunities to a wider range of potential students.

Barbara MacLeod is a professor of economics and chair of the faculy Committee on Admission and Financial Aid.

Keeping up with the court

Homecoming king and queen talk love and life at OWU

Seniors Brittany Hupp and Tom Horsfall are busy folks. Horsfall hold’s the title of the men’s varsity swim captain, acts as the service director for Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity, is the MS Walk coordinator for the Neuroscience Club and is a member of President’s Club and Order of Omega.

Hupp’s resume is equally impressive, juggling her positions as scholarship director for her sorority, PanHellenic Council’s membership director and the president of the earth sciences honor society, Sigma Gamma Epsilon.

In addition to being the epitome of Ohio Wesleyan success stories on their own, the two have been an item before even their first day of classes.

Horsfall and Hupp have been recognized as an university power couple for almost their entire OWU careers, and now they have the titles to prove it. The pair was honored as this year’s Homecoming King and Queen, so we caught up with them to get the lowdown on the first couple of campus.

The Transcript: Now that we know about you individually, tell us about you as a couple. How did you meet, and how did you start dating?

Brittany Hupp: This is actually pretty funny. We met at Fresh X before freshman year even started. We were both on the camping trip and immediately hit it off. By the end of the trip we had shared many laughs, a few intense euchre games, and most memorably, our first kiss out under the stars. He was literally the first person I talked to at Fresh X and after a few weeks into freshman year we officially started dating. Over three years later and we’re still going strong.

T: Favorite quality of your significant other?

BH: This is hard. I love his compassion, sense of humor, and comforting nature. Also, his amazing good looks are a plus. I have never been so connected to another human being and am so very blessed to have Tom in my life. He’s pretty great.

Tom Horsfall: She can make me laugh no matter what mood I’m in.

T: What do you love most about the school?

TH: I love the people at this school as well as the amazing opportunities the school has to offer. I don’t know where to begin about just how amazing the people at this school are. People here are just so friendly and that’s one of the biggest reasons I came here. I feel like when I talk to people on this campus they are so genuine and excited about what they are doing in their studies. I love how everyone is so motivated to do their best and to get out into the world and make a difference. Also, the professors here are absolutely amazing.

BH: I absolutely love OWU. I could not imagine myself being a part of a better community than that which exists here at this university. I love the passionate attitude that both the students and professors show in academics as well as making this world a better place. Perhaps most importantly, I love the accepting environment that OWU provides. Being a young mother, I’ve experienced a lot of negative treatment from other people, but here at OWU I’ve experienced the exact opposite.

T: What does winning mean to you?

BH: Winning Homecoming Queen is just really the icing on the cake. My time at this university has only brought wonderful people and opportunities into my life, and this is just another example of it.

TH: It means a lot. I love the people on this campus and it is really nice to know they love me back. One moment that stuck out to me was when my name was announced at the football game. I was not expecting such a loud roar of support. I’m lucky to know so many wonderful people.

T: Advice to freshmen?

BH: Be open minded, take risks, and really take advantage of everything that OWU has to offer! You won’t regret it.

TH: Don’t be afraid to do what you want in college, go for it. One quote that has stuck with me that was said by our very own Branch Rickey has been “Never surrender opportunity for security.” I know it sounds so cliché but if you take that little bit of advice I guarantee you will be much happier with your college experience.

Winbigler discusses education, entertainment, digital media trends

The trends in digital media present both an opportunity and a challenge to the National Geographic Society (NG) based off of last Thursday’s Milligan Leaders in Business Lecture Series featuring Tracie Winbigler.

Winbigler (‘87) earned her bachelor’s degree at Ohio Wesleyan in economics concentrating in management. Following that, Winbigler began her career working for General Electric and NBC.

The series opened with remarks from university president Rock Jones. In addition to the history behind the Milligan Lecture Series, Jones noted the opportunity afforded to students in receiving a liberal arts education in the exemplification of Winbigler’s career in the business and non-profit sectors.

“I think in particular for students, it’s good to realize that in both of these sectors [there is] important, life-changing work for the common good and Tracie exemplifies that,” Jones saud.

Winbigler was formally introduced by professor of economics Bob Gitter, as he was Winbigler’s former professor. Wingbigler attributes the start of her career at GE to Gitter, who encouraged her to sign up for their finance management program when she was a senior at OWU.

“It is one of the greatest joys of my job to see the success of the students that have returned to Ohio Wesleyan,” Gitter said, “It was just a joy to work with [Winbigler], to watch her grow in her time at Ohio Wesleyan, and to see how she’s continued to grow throughout the years.”

The presentation opened with the mission statement and description as to what the National Geographic Society is, and Winbigler’s role in the publication.

“We have a lot of media assets that support our not-for-profit business and so it’s an engine,” Winbigler said, “We have a lot of storytelling assets and the way the machine works is we make profit from the storytelling assets to feed the not-for-profit side of grants and educational activities globally.”

The lecture consisted of certain trends being noticed in the digital media and their effect on the business both in NG and beyond. Winbigler mainly used graphs and charts to illustrate the ebb and flow of certain mediums of media including the big four—TV, radio, newspapers, and magazines—in profits and advertising.

Winbigler expressed the need for NG and other media outlets to reorient their marketing pitch to consumers to stay on the radar in the Digital Age. She illustrated NG’s efforts to this effect by means of creating a more interactive online periodical and website through sending Instagram photos directly to NG’s account to see if they get posted.

There are also ideas to create online levels of memberships/subscriptions to the website with different amounts of packages being granted to certain member groups.

With that in mind, she noted the difficulty NG has in reaching the age group of late teens, early 20s people—a problem many digital media companies do not have. There is also a need for balancing the education and entertainment aspects of the company.

“Being a joint venture with Fox, that’s one of the most interesting balancing acts we have to make. Fox wants ratings. They’re a commercial entity,” Winbigler said in a later interview.

“What we’re trying to do is work with the channel to get a little more on-brand [more educational, documentary-style shows].”

Women’s reproductive rights deserve attention

The last time a high-profile political figure ate at Bun’s Restaurant on Winter Street, he certainly didn’t talk about the dangers facing women should we lose the right to make decisions over our own reproductive systems.

It might come as no surprise that I did not attend the rally for Mitt Romney at Bun’s during the 2012 presidential election. From his stance on health care to his horrible white-ombre sideburns, there really aren’t too many nice things I have to say about the former governor of Massachusetts.

But it wasn’t all about poor Mitt. No, bad politics could never keep me from eating. But yours truly eats gluten-free, making Bun’s, a restaurant named after bread, a less than ideal dining option.

However, when I was offered the chance to have dinner there with Connie Schultz one of my field’s icons and an all-around badass, the scary possibility of ingesting gluten didn’t even cross my mind.

If you haven’t heard of Schultz, you should really look her up. She is a Pulitzer Prize winner, a nationally syndicated columnist and the author of two books. After raising her daughter as a single mother while climbing the ladder of success at the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Schultz found herself a man actually worthy of her time.

His name is Sherrod Brown, and he is Ohio’s senior senator.

It can’t be easy being married to a political power player when you have a reputation as a righteous political journalist, but if anyone can do it, it’s Schultz.

Not only has she done it well in the past, she is continuing to do it well today. She recently singled out Governor John Kasich’s claim that he was a “moderate” by bringing up his war on Planned Parent during an appearance on MSNBC several weeks ago.

Schultz was telling that story at dinner when she looked up and asked me if girls my age realized what Kasich is attempting to do with women’s reproductive rights in Ohio, and whether or not we realize all that is at stake.

I responded by saying I believe our news sites are oversaturated and sometimes the importance of certain issues does not get through to my age group.

The incessant updates on social media don’t help either. Why read about ISIS on your New York Times app when you can scroll through Yik Yak?

Schultz seemed to appreciate my honesty, but her question really resonated with me. Do my friends really realize what’s at stake for us, especially now that Ohio’s top five state offices are filled by Republicans?

Do my friends realize that our governor has already made it more difficult for family planning groups to receive funding for preventive care, that is, birth control?

Do they understand that just days after Texas state senator Wendy Davis successfully filibustered a bill that would make abortions practically illegal, Kasich made it Ohio state law for any woman seeking abortion to undergo an ultrasound?

Are they aware that Kasich’s bill makes it difficult for abortion providers to obtain transfer agreements with public hospitals?

The problems facing women’s rights in Ohio are very real, and yet the women of my generation seem pretty passé on the subject overall. Why aren’t we fighting this fight?

Women have fought oppression for centuries. The women who came before us had to fight to protect their rights, and we appear to be forgetting their struggle. What would these women, some of whom were murdered in bombings, shot, harassed or injured, say to my generation? Would they even want to be associated with us?

I guess my point is this: ladies, we have got to start paying attention. Of course not every woman would agree with me on this, but I know there are many who do.

We cannot continue to live in a bubble where we think nothing bad can happen to us, because it can.

Right now there are a bunch of white dudes 20 miles away trying to figure out how they can control the most personal part of our bodies. We are under siege, and it’s not going away.

Global Grab: Election edition

This week, the Global Grab is going national, in honor of the Midterm elections. Republicans picked up 13 House seats, while also picking up seven Senate seats. To get the majority for the Senate, the Republicans needed to pick up six. So that means they’re firmly the majority. Many Democratic-leaning states, such as Maryland, Massachusetts and Illinois, picked up Republican governors. Politico is calling it the “Red Dawn.”

Here are the rundowns of some major races around the country.

Ohio: Republicans took all of the state’s highest ranking offices, with incumbnent John Kasic winning against Ed FitzGerald with 64 percent of the vote. To make things worse for the dems, the chair of the Democratic Party of Ohio, Chris Redfern, resigned after he lost his race for the 89th House district seat. The repubulicans also took home two state supreme court spots.

New Hampshire: Democrat Jeanne Shaheen held onto her Senate seat, beating Scott Brown. His name may sound familiar, since he was a senator in Massachusetts before being ousted by current Senator Elizabeth Warren. There was a lot of controversy surrounding Brown’s latest run, since he wasn’t from New Hampshire. He qualified as a resident of the state because he has a vacation home there.

Kentucky: Another contentious Senate race took place in Kentucky, between Senate minority, now majority, leader Mitch McConnell and a new rising star in the Democratic Party, Alison Lundergan Grimes. Up until the election, the polls were very close, but McConnell had the edge. It turned out he did, as he won the seat 55.74 percent to Lundergan Grimes’ 41.19 percent.

Louisiana: With eight people on the ballot and one candidate needing to get over 50 percent of the vote, it was bound to be hard for any candidate to win Louisiana’s Senate seat.

However, early in the night, it was decided that there will be a two candidate runoff between Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu and Republican Bill Cassidy, which is supposed to take place on December 6. That means we won’t know who the majority in the Senate will be until December at the earliest.

North Carolina: This Senate race is considered to be the most expensive of the 2014 midterm elections, if not ever. Incumbent Democratic Senator Kay Hagan lost to Republican Thom Tillis by two points. Many Democrats were hopeful, even after the polls closed, that Hagan could pull out a victory, but Tillis thwarted those hopes.

Wisconsin: In one of the most contentious gubernatorial races in the country, incumbent Republican Gov. Scott Walker won his third election in four years. This was going to be a challenging race, since Walker was quite unpopular in Wisconsin due to abolishing unions, which led to a recall race in 2012 that he ultimately won. By holding on to the governorship, this puts Walker as a potentially strong presidential candidate in 2016.

Colorado: In another closely watched Senate races, it was another victory for the Republicans. Republican Rep. Cory Gardner beat Democratic Sen. Mark Udall. It was expected to be a close one, even though polls had Gardner winning within the margin of error.

As of the writing of this piece, the gubernatorial race in Colorado is much too close to call. Democrat incumbent John Hickenlooper was leading Republican Bob Beauprez 48 percent to 47.3 percent, with 92 percent of the votes counted, according to Talking Points Memo. Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler said there is a strong possibility the race could go to a recount.

However, voters in Colorado rejected the “personhood” ballot measure, which would have granted “personhood rights to developing fetuses from the moment of fertilization,” according to the Huffington Post. Colorado rejected the amendment 67 percent to 37 percent, the third time they voted down a “personhood” measure in the past few years.

Florida: This race was a strange one. It includes Charlie Crist, a former governor of Florida. When he was governor last time, he was a Republican, but in 2014, he ran as a Democrat. However, incumbent Republican Gov. Rick Scott held on and beat Crist in a close race.

In other news in Florida, the medicinal marijuana ballot initiative failed to get the required 60 percent “Yes” vote, so the measure failed.

Words from the wise: Q&A with coach Jay Martin

OWU men's soccer coach Jay Martin. Photo: battlingbishops.com — Men’s soccer head coach Jay Martin. Photo: battlingbishops.com

As the winningest coach in collegiate soccer history (654), Jay Martin has certainly been able piece together a talented roster in each of his 37 years at OWU. After earning a seventh straight NCAC title against Hiram on Nov. 1, the team will host the NCAC tournament beginning Nov. 12 against DePauw University.

The Transcript: How have you been able to get the most out of your players for so long?

Jay Martin: Motivation is an all season long task. We work on the idea of intrinsic motivation and the guys must be accountable for their play. So, I haven’t really done anything. The players have done it all.

T: What is that is making the team so successful right now?

JM: The players. We have good players. It took a litlle time for the team too come together, but once the kinks were worked out we started playing well. We have good players, but their role changed from a role player on the team to a main player on the team. It took a little while too get there.

T: What do you guys have to do correctly to make a NCAA tournament run?

JM: The first thing we need to do is get into the tournament. That is why these NCAC games are important. The teams that can focus on today and not on the trophy are the teams that move on.

Swimmers prepare for NCAC meet

The men’s and women’s Ohio Wesleyan University swim teams have started their season with grueling early morning workouts and demanding weeks that include 15 hours of practice time.

Both the teams have started off their season 1-1 and are looking to get their first NCAC win this Saturday when they travel to Wittenberg.

Coach Dick Hawes said the team is gearing up for the season by focusing on the more minor, but still crucial, elements of swimming, like stroke technique, flip turns, starts and muscle conditioning.

“The start of our season focuses on kicking to get the larger muscle groups in shape and cut down on shoulder problems.” Hawes said.

“We have performed well with how tired they are at this point of the season.”

“We have been focusing on our turns and coming off our walls.”

Junior Andy Cumston said he is not phased by the early workouts or long practice hours as they are beneficial preparation.

“Morning practices help with building up our yardage for the drop at the end of the season.” Cumston said.

“It’s vital to stay energized by eating healthy, but also by making sure you are getting enough of your key nutrients and protein to help your body stay healthy so it can be ready for the next practice.”

Last year the women finished 8th in the conference and the men finished 6th. The NCAC has been known to be perhaps the strongest conference in Division III swimming.

Kenyon College, one of OWU’s biggest NCAC rivals, has won the NCAA National Championship 33 times out of the last 35 years.

Despite the tough competition, the teams believe in themselves to get better and improve on last season’s mark.

“The team feels confident in our abilities that we can focus on what we need to improve and become a stronger team.” Cumston said.

“It’s important to not swim against the other teams but to improve on your own personal times at each meet and to support your teammates.”