Germany’s finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble. Photo: Wikimedia
The Issue: Hong Kong Protests
The protests for democracy in Hong Kong are still alive and well. They started about three weeks ago with a student rally, and grew to mass protests for âgreat democracyâ in Hong Kong, according to the Associated Press. Since the protests started, they have grown bigger, and dangerous, and there is no end in sight.
The protestors want fully democratic elections, and were angered that the Chinese government wanted to vet potential candidates for the 2017 polls, the BBC says. There are scheduled talks between the student protestors and the Chinese government in the coming week, but violent protests have erupted. Reuters is calling this the worst political crisis in Hong Kong âsince Britain handed the free-wheeling city back to China in 1997(.)â
Now, the BBC reports there have been charges of âoutside involvementâ in the protests. Hong Kongâs leader, CY Leung, is accusing âexternal forcesâ of involvement, and called the protests âout of control, even for the organizers.â However, student organizers and protestors have âdenied any outside involvementâ in the protests. The BBC also posited that âChina could be making allegations of interference to discourage foreign governments from supporting the protests.â
Authorities âhave been inconsistent both in handling the studentsâ call for political reform and in tactics to clear the streets,â the AP reported. None of the sides are sure what will result from the protests, and there doesnât seem to be any sort of consensus.
The Issue: Europeâs Economy
Itâs been about five years since the Great Recession that decimated the financial markets, but there still hasnât been a full recovery, particularly in Europe.
The leader of the financial sector in Europe is Germany, who was the pioneer of austerity, a policy model of reducing spending and the increase of frugality within a financial sector. Thanks to Germany, many countries in the European Union were bailed out and their economies saved.
Wolfgang Schaeuble, Germanyâs finance minister, said the country must âincrease its investment to improve competitiveness, but not at the expense of higher debt,â the BBC reports. Those comments came after a horrible market week, which signaled a possible weakening of the German economy.
The weakening of the German economy comes after the German government cut its economic growth forecast from 1.8 percent to 1.2 percent, the BBC said. Along with that news, a health check of Europeâs top banks by the European Central Bank (ECB) found that âin the seven months since it began, the ECB had to shoot down countless pleas from banks and national supervisors for special treatment,â Reuters reports. The health check will also say which of Europeâs 130 biggest banks have âvalued their assets properly and which have not, as well as whether banks need more capital to withstand another economic crash,â Reuters said.
Members of the men’s cross country team running at the Denison Invitational. Photo by Jason Miller for battlingbishops.com
The North Coast Athletic Conference championship held on Nov. 1 in Granville, Ohio will be a great opportunity for the Ohio Wesleyan cross country team to prove their excellence.
The conference championship is the focal point of the season, Itâs what everyone has been training for.
Head coach Matter Wackerly thinks the runners are prepared to showcase their talent this Saturday. âTheir training really started in June, and has progressed gradually from there. Now, we are reducing the volume and intensity a bit as we prepare for the championship portion of the season.â Wackerly said.
In order to qualify for the All-NCAC team, runners must finish in the top seven at the event. âI think that John Sotos and Zak Geiger can both be first team all NCAC,â Wackerly said. âFor the women, I think that Sarah Fowler, Abbey Warth and Kaillie Winston could compete to earn that honor.â
Freshman John Sotos was named DIII Newcomer of the Year at the All-Ohio Intercollegiate Cross Country Championship on Oct. 10. The award has motivated him and his teammates to keep pushing for more recognition. âA good result at the conference meet would be a big confidence booster for us heading into the regional meet,â Sotos said.
The team is confident of their abilities and are motivated to get a good result this Saturday. âEveryone is excited and ready to show the other teams in our conference what we are made of,â Sotos said.
Ohio Wesleyan has yet to win at the NCAC championship and only has had one individual winner since 1989, Cara DeAngelis in 2011. The women finished second last year while the men finished third in 2012.
âIt is the opportunity to represent your team and your school in the best possible manner,â Wackerly said.
An OWU sophomore was hit by a drunk driver along this stretch of Oak Hill Avenue early Sunday morning. Image: Google Maps
A Columbus man is out of jail on bond after he allegedly hit an Ohio Wesleyan student with his car while driving drunk early Sunday morning.
Jason Batres, 24, struck OWU sophomore Cajsa Ohlsson, 20, while she was riding her bicycle west on Oak Hill Avenue, sending her flying from the bicycle onto the sidewalk. She sustained a severely broken left ankle, a dislocated left foot, a bad concussion and several scrapes and bruises, she said.
Batres fled the scene at about 50 miles per hour, the Delaware Police Department crash report said. Shortly afterward, officer Joseph Kolp found him parked about half a mile away on Montrose Avenue and arrested him for drunken driving. He was eventually sent to the county jail, where a breathalyzer test showed he was drunk at more than twice Ohio’s legal limit with a blood alcohol level of 0.163 percent.
Delaware Fire Department medics took Ohlsson, a resident of Tree House, to Grady Memorial Hospital, where she said she had surgery on her ankle later Sunday morning. She is back on campus today, staying in Welch Hall while her injuries heal because it “wouldn’t be physically possible” for her to live in Tree House, she said.
Batres’s driver’s license has been suspended and he is charged with aggravated vehicular assault, a third-degree felony that carries a maximum jail term of up to five years if he is convicted, according to the Ohio Revised Code.
“Itâs definitely good that he got caught and gets punished for what he did, because drunk driving is one of the stupidest things you can do in my opinion,” Ohlsson said.
Junior Kaila Johnson leads the annual SlutWalk march around Williams Drive last Thursday. Photo by Alex Gross
Over sixty students chanted and marched around the residential side of campus on Thursday for the annual SlutWalk, hosted by Sisters United.
Junior and Sisters United vice president Kaila Johnson said the SlutWalk originated in Toronto after a police officer said publicly that if women do not want to be raped, they should not dress like âsluts.â SlutWalk has since become an international movement, held in cities all over the globe.
âThe purpose of SlutWalk is to march, rally, and protest against rape culture, slut-shaming, and victim-blaming,â Johnson said. âIt is a walk of solidarity with those who have survived rape and sexual assault, and a way to show that a womanâs clothing is never an excuse for violence against her.â
She said the event was brought to OWU about five years ago by Nola Johnson, who graduated last year. Due to the provocative title, she had to fight the administration to gain approval for SlutWalk to be held on campus. Since then, the event has been held every year.
 SlutWalk attendees gathered in front of the Hamilton-Williams Campus Center at 6 p.m. on Thursday for the event. Posters and a sheet of chants were available to anyone who wanted them. Johnson spoke about how the event originated and called for end to victim-blaming and slut-shaming.
Student representatives from the Spectrum Resource Center, Womenâs House, Pride and the Womenâs Resource Center spoke about what services their organization offers and what they stand for. A staff counselor from counseling services also attended and said she was available to anyone who wanted to talk to her.
Students then walked down the JayWalk, holding up their posters and saying chants like âA little black dress does not mean yesâ and âHey hey ho ho patriarchy has got to go.â The protesters walked down Rowland Avenue, through the circle of fraternities and around House of Black Culture before heading back to Ham-Wil.
 While students were gathering back together, some members of the Board of Trustees passed on their way into Ham-Wil for a dinner reception in the Benes Room.
âI am grateful to Sisters United for their leadership in drawing attention to this important issue and to all on campus who come together to walk in solidarity with victims of rape and sexual assault, and to affirm our collective abhorrence of practices that have the effect of blaming victims,â President Rock Jones said. âOhio Wesleyan is firmly committed to a culture that is safe for all persons and where people are free to express themselves without the risk of being violated by others. Our Board of Trustees, which is on campus this week, joins me in affirming this fundamental Ohio Wesleyan value.â
Sophomore Teona Council attended the event and said she believes âvictim-blaming is one of the worst things a society can do to those who have experienced this tragic event in their life.â
âWhen I was in high school everyone thought I was a slut,â said junior Abby Hanson. âIt was really hurtful. I think being called a slut ever is just not a good thing.â
âThis walk doesnât end now,â Johnson said. âWe must continue this in our daily lives.â
Sophomore Haley Savoie during a Sept. 21 game against Kenyon. Photo: battlingbishops.com
The Ohio Wesleyan Field Hockey team recorded a 2-0 shutout victory this Sunday over the Bethany College Bison. Junior forward Karson Stevenson netted her first collegiate goal to give the Bishops the lead, and sophomore midfielder Cheyenne Gibbons gave final numbers to the game.
It was a hard fought game from the beginning. The first 15 minutes were played in the middle of the field, with defenders getting the best of forwards and ball carriers.
The first scoring chance for either team came halfway through the first half, in the 17th minute. Gibbons received the ball in the goalie box and had two shots, both saved Bison junior goalkeeper Courtney Snyder.
Snyderâs efforts would be short lived, however. In the ensuing corner, Gibbons received a pass from sophomore forward Montana Knapp and passed it across the goal, where Stevenson tapped it in to put the Bishops in the lead.
Five minutes later, Bethany had their first clear scoring chance to score after a corner, as freshman goalie Jackie Feliciano had two big saves to keep the Bishopâs lead.
Ohio Wesleyan managed to keep the lead into halftime, despite playing with one less player for the last 3 minutes of the half, and sophomore midfielder Haley Savoie sitting out for a yellow card.
In the second half, the Bishops came out hard. Five minutes in, a shot by junior midfielder Venessa Menery was saved once again by the Bison goalie.
At the 20th minute mark, the Bishops began a flurry of attacks, which resulted in five corners in a row. Freshman defender Paige Haenig, Knapp, and Savoie all had shots saved by Snyder or cleared off the line by Bison defenders.
The Bishops kept pressuring Bethany College and on another corner on the 16th minute, Knapp hit a shot into the net, only to see it get called back by the referee. The score remained 1-0 for the Bishops.
With 10 minutes to go in the game, OWU finally got their second goal. Menerey beat two defenders down the right side and crossed it for Gibbons, who simply had to put it in the goal. The lead was now at a comfortable 2-0.
The Bishops had a couple more chances with Haenig, and kept possession to keep the Bethany College forwards under control. With 25 seconds left on the clock, freshman defender Addy Boyles had a clearance off the line to keep the Bishop shutout.
With the victory, the Ohio Wesleyan Field Hockey team is now 5-7. They face Wooster for a conference matchup at Selby Stadium on Thursday, October 9th.
Image: Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Facebook
After winning five straight matches, including two monumental comebacks, freshman Elliot Garwood made it to the finals of the Intercollegiate Tennis Associationâs invitational on Sept. 28, an unheard of result for an Ohio Wesleyan tennis player.
Garwood won his first two matches in straight sets, beating his opponents 6-3 6-2 and 6-0 6-1. The rounds that followed, however, did not go exactly as planned.
âI knew that I would have to face adversity heading into the tournament as every tournament almost always has something unexpected to offer,â Garwood said.
He found himself behind after dropping the first set in his third round matchup.
Garwood rallied and came back to win the second set 6-2 and third set tiebreak 10-6 to win the match.
Later in the day he was again trailing, but this time with an even bigger mountain to climb.
Down 6-1 5-0 and with a match point against, his odds of coming back were slim, to say the least. â(My opponent) had a match point but I managed to rally and come back to win that game along with the next game which made the scoreline 5-2,â Garwood said.
âThen my opponent started to cramp in the legs which changed the entire complexity of the match and ultimately enabled me to win the second set 7-5 and the third set tiebreak 10-4.â
Garwood regained his energy the next day to get a 6-1 6-4 result in the semis to send him straight through to the finals. âElliot made it all the way to the finals of his draw. It was an unprecedented performance by a menâs tennis player at OWU,â Head Coach Tom Drabczyk said. âElliot is one of many freshman that look to contribute a lot this year. We are projecting starting one sophomore and potentially five freshman in singles.â
Although losing in the finals, Garwood is excited with the way he played and overall glad to be a part of the OWU tennis program: âWe look to build the tennis program through continuous work ethic and a willingness to get better each and every day. This is a great team that doesnât care who gets the recognition, but just wants to win,â he said.
History professor Ellen Arnold led a tour of the refurbished Elliot Hall on Sept. 17. This is the common space in the basement. Photo by Sarah Thomas
Renovations and repairs gave Elliott Hall new life as the building reopened this fall after a water main break last winter caused significant damage.
Flooding and other water damage ruined most of the woodwork of the building, and some professors lost possessions as well. Major repairs went underway in the spring to restore Elliott Hall.
The Ohio Wesleyan University administration wanted to use this opportunity to see what other improvements could be made, according to Peter Schantz, director of physical plant for Buildings and Grounds.
âBesides the insurance company paying for the restoration of the building resulting from the damage, we also identified upgrades that we wanted to make that were not part of the claim,â Schantz said.
These upgrades include three new classrooms and two conference rooms in the basement of Elliott. The basement contains an additional common space with couches and tables as well.
âThe addition of the basement classrooms have definitely opened up a lot more options for types of classroom experiences,â said senior Zach Paull, a history education major.
Many of the classrooms have new TVs that make it easier to connect to computers for presentations. The chalkboards were replaced by glass boards that look and act like white boards, but are more durable and easier to clean.
New desks allow students to move around easily and do group work.
âThe flexibly of the furniture changes the dynamics of the intro classes,â said Ellen Arnold, assistant professor of history.
Leveling the floors and providing better insulation of the building was another important upgrade, according to Schantz.
Arnold pointed out several classrooms on a tour of the building in which ramps were necessary to make the floor level. Some even required an additional level, as in professor of politics and government Sean Kayâs office.
Air conditioning and a new paint job completed the renovations.
âYou’d be surprised how much of a difference the new paint job has on the feel of the classrooms and halls if you saw the before and after,â Paull said.
Arnold stated the paint and new blinds provide more light in the classrooms, which makes them more inviting.
Professor proposes solutions to low enrollment, financial high water
By Professor Tom Wolber Guest Columnist
On Census Day 2014, Ohio Wesleyan had 484 new students. The total enrollment for the fall semester was thus 1,734 students. That is a decline of 6.1 percent from the 1,829 who were enrolled at OWU on Census Day in the fall of 2013. Where do we go from here? Quo vadis, OWU?
Thesis
The discussion has barely started, but it is already clear that different people are drawing different conclusions from the unfortunate situation. In the first camp are primarily those to whom the financial health and well-being of the institution is entrusted. They are looking at the numbers and seem to have already concluded that it is belt-tightening time. To correct the imbalance of a 6.1 percent reduction in student size this year there should be a corresponding reduction of the faculty size next year.
A hiring freeze is already in place. If the current contraction trend continues beyond 2014-15, we could see courses, majors, faculty, and perhaps even entire programs, departments, and services either consolidated or dropped from the curriculum altogether. There are exigency policies in place that permit such contingencies, including the termination of tenured faculty members.
The ultimate authority for program and position reductions and terminations rests with the Board of Trustees. They have used the nuclear option in the past when OWUâs Department of Nursing or when tenure-track positions were eliminated in the 1980s and 1990s, respectively. In the eyes of some, the need of a balanced budget trumps all other concerns. In their minds, the question of cost-effectiveness and the resulting downsizing at a time when the demand for the companyâs product is low is a sound and wise business decision.
There are, however, many problems with the implementation of draconian austerity measures. For one thing, to mindlessly subtract staff and faculty in a time of crisis can compromise the mission and quality of the institution. Also, austerity does not necessarily lead to growth and recovery. âYou cannot cut your way to prosperity,â Ohioâs governor John Kasich stated in 2012. In addition, the decimation of personnel not only has devastating effects on employee morale but also on the reputation of an institution. A reduction in choices does not make OWU more attractive to prospective students and their parents.
Antithesis
In the other camp are those who advocate for revenue enhancement and a pro-growth agenda. At the first faculty meeting of the year, OWUâs new Vice President for Enrollment, Susan Dileno, spelled out several specific measures she launched to improve the admission situation. It seems premature to downsize the institution before she had a chance to test and implement all her ideas.
There are things OWU could and should be doing to turn the ship around: Letâs involve the faculty and the alumni, letâs make the curriculum more relevant and attractive, letâs consider three-year degree options, letâs create new majors and programs, letâs look at graduate-level degrees, letâs increase fundraising, letâs double the endowment, letâs explore on-line education and new markets, letâs create partnerships with community colleges, and letâs network and share resources with our GLCA sister institutions.
There is nothing inherently wrong with any of these suggestions. A good offense is the best defense, they say. The problem is that OWU has tried many of these ideas in the past, with mixed success. The truth is that institutions of higher learning, and especially liberal arts colleges, are facing a real crisis for which no silver bullet exists. Declining numbers of high-school graduates in the Midwest have something to do with it. At the same time, the economic recovery has yet to reach middle-class families; they continue to struggle economically.
Then there is the conservative push toward more practical, utilitarian, and vocational skills at the expense of a liberal-arts education. Suffice it to say that OWU is not the only college in Ohio and the Midwest that is facing challenges such as a declining student body and thus a budget shortage. Given these economic, demographic, and political realities, it will be tough to improve the situation. The future cannot be based on âhopiumâ alone. A sober assessment may eventually come to the conclusion that ârightsizingâ the institution is indeed the best way to go. But at this specific point in time it is too early to make the definitive determination that a financially contingent situation exists.
Synthesis
Both âshrinkersâ and âgrowersâ have a point, but neither camp has all the answers. What is needed instead is a balanced approach combining expenditure reductions and revenue enhancements. This is what Ohio Wesleyan did in 1995 when it faced a similar situation under President Tom Courtice. There is no doubt that the budget imbalance that OWU is currently facing must be corrected, but there are several constructive ways to do so.
The president and the Board of Trustees indeed have a fiduciary obligation to keep OWU financially afloat. If they ignored budget considerations, they would be derelict in their duties. But the budget is only part of their mission.
There are also the conflicting goals of protecting the institutionâs academic quality and heritage. Ignoring these equally important considerations would likewise constitute a serious breach of their responsibility. The trick is to find the right combination of mission, cost-effectiveness, and quality. Therefore, all options should be pursued aggressively, including the path of retrenchment and the path of growth. It is too early to commit to one particular strategy without having explored the full range of all available options first.
Should the institution eventually conclude that ârightsizingâ the institution is indeed the way to go, it should follow the rules and regulations outlined in the âFaculty Handbook.â
It is imperative that the consultations are as wide as possible and the decision-making shared.
Standing faculty committees must be involved; hearings should take place as part of the deliberations; affected program and department chairs should be permitted to play an active role; and students should have a strong voice.
There are ways to handle exigency situations in a fair and transparent, rational and humane way. Perhaps natural attrition, early retirements, and buyouts can ease the pain. Laying off faculty and staff should be a measure of last resort and used only when all other efforts have failed.
Liz and Donald Staas, the owners of Staas Brewing. at 31 W. Winter St. Photo by Conor Golden
Craft beer is booming here in central Ohio.
The general characteristics of a craft brewery include being: small, independent, innovative, and distinctive. These criteria fit many local breweries including the only one in Delaware: Staas Brewing Company.
Located at 31 W. Winter St. across from the Andrews House, Staas Brewing Company fits all these criteria as defined by the association. Locally owned and operated by Liz and Donald Staas, their business is known for producing quality craft beers whether they are IPAâs, ales, or classic styles.
âWe wanted a small atmosphere because it keeps the focus on the beer,â Liz Staas noted, â99 percent of the time, Donald or myself serve the beer and people like having that conversation and knowing the person serving you is also the one who made the product. It makes for a totally different experience.â
Staas is different from Barley Hopsterâs in that the latter business is a craft beer retail store. What this means is that whereas Staas makes and sells their own product, Barley Hopsterâs is an aggregator of hundreds of varieties of craft beers. Both represent the continuously growing trend of craft beer culture in the greater Columbus area.
Despite overall beer sales dropping, craft beer actually experienced an increase of 17.6 percent in 2013 nationally according to the national lobbying group: the Brewerâs Association. Sources have told the Columbus Dispatch, Columbus Alive, and Columbus Underground that the industry is booming and, not only booming, but doing well. It seems that the more than 70 craft breweries in this state are struggling to keep up with the demand.
The Brewers Association also counted Ohio as having around 1.1 million barrels of craft beer produced every year, making the state fourth in the nation for craft barrels produced annually. The economic impact is also staggering: almost 1.3 million dollars in 2012 according to the Brewers Association.
The goals now seem to be to expand and to brew more. Eric Bean, owner of Columbus Brewing Companyâthe largest craft brewing company in Columbusâsaid in an interview with Columbus Alive that he cannot supply the city with enough beer.
âIn earlier decades, there was a certain level of âfadâ with craft brewing,â Bean stated in his interview, âBut now itâs a lifestyle brand.â
In an interview with the Dispatch, Bean also said how a few years ago there was a push for controlling the âtap handle,â but now beer seems to be literally âfalling off the trucks.â
Despite no plans to expand anytime soon, Staas also noted the rapidity of the industryâs growth. âThe beer culture is booming, but we started this whole process over two years ago and two years ago, things in Columbus werenât really like they were now,â she said, âA lot of breweries and a lot of new bars have opened up in the past two years. We cannot believe how different Columbus is from how it was two years ago and for the better. Itâs awesome.â
For more information on Delawareâs local microbrewery, visit staasbrewing.com and for more statistics on craft brewing go to http://www.brewersassociation.org/
Photo: Owners Liz and Donald Staas pose inside behind their bar at Staas Brewing Company
Water pooled on Williams Drive in front of Phi Delta Theta fraternity house on Sept. 28 due to a water main break Photo by Sarah Thomas
A water main break on Williams Drive caused four fraternity houses to be without water for several hours on Sept. 29 while crews fixed the overflow.
The pipe burst in front of Phi Delta Theta on the morning of Sept. 28. Excess water formed a shallow pool on Williams Drive near the break, flowing down into the storm drain west of the pipe.
âOur best guess is that there were cracks around the pipe due to the stress of freezing and thawing from last winter that broke around the perimeter,â said Peter Schantz, director of physical plant for Buildings and Grounds.
Students were alerted of the problem in the afternoon and early evening after the situation had been assessed by Buildings and Grounds and Delaware City crews, said Levi Harrel, the residential life coordinator for Williams Drive houses.
Because the buildings maintained water pressure and there was still water in the pipe, residents of Williams Drive houses were able to safely continue using water for all needs on Sunday Sept. 28, said Schantz.
These residents were alerted through email and signs that water would be shut off at 8:30 a.m. on Monday Sept. 29 to allow crews to repair the break.
âThis means there will be no water available for drinking, bathing, or flushing toilets until the work is complete,â said the email from the residential life office.
However, only Alpha Sigma Phi, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Phi Kappa Psi and Phi Delta Theta were affected by the shut off.
Crews had found the leak and put a cuff on the pipe by 11 a.m., Schantz said. Water pressure was restored to allow bathing and flushing toilets as well, although a 24 hour boil alert was in place for drinking the water.
The scene was taped off with yellow caution tape and orange barrels until Thursday. The dirt removed in order to reach the pipe was piled into a heap next to the road until the hole was filled Thursday morning.
However, the asphalt above the pipe has not yet been replaced. The plan is to let the fix settle and then replace the asphalt in the spring, Schantz said.
âWhile I would never say a water main break was a minor issue, it was something that crews were easily able to repair,â Harrel said.
