Senior Danielle Haley throws a strike against Wittenberg April 13 at Margaret Sagan Field. Photo by Mike Serbanoiu
Bishop softball is in full swing and ready to take on the NCAC tournament.
Sophomore Lilly Gresh said the team plans to make it to the tournament, and win.
âWe most definitely have the talent and passion to go into the tournament and dominate against anyone that we play,â she said.
Junior Brooke Warner agreed with Gresh, and said you canât overlook anyone in conference tournament play.
âItâs always anyoneâs game no matter what the records are going into the match up, or the history of the programs,â Warner said. âSo, taking every game one pitch at a time allows us to celebrate the small victories that get us where we want to be. We just strive to get better every inning.â
With a 9-1 home record, Warner said the teamâs confidence level is high.
âI just think itâs easier to bring that mentality when we are playing at our house, with our fans, and all the other familiarities that allow us to relax and just play,â she said. âWe are working on transitioning this mentality to road games too, and we are making true progress. â
According to Warner, all of the struggles the team faces during away games are mental, and the fact that most away games fields are quieter than they are used to.
âWe donât have a very secluded field, so at home we are constantly fighting the noise of the traffic, but thatâs what keeps our dugout loud and our heads in the game on the field,â Warner said. âSometimes when we are away, we allow the atmospheres of other fields dictate our intensity level and therefore we tend to lose focus or play a little timid.â
Gresh agreed and said the team gets excited to play at home for several reasons.
âYou are playing in your comfort zone on your own turf, and most importantly, you have home-field support from your family, friends, and fans,â she said. âWhen playing at home, you want to defend what is yours and not let other teams defeat you on your own ground, so in turn, your adrenaline starts pumping and you play harder.â
Alex Kerensky throws a frisbee during a tournament last fall. The team won its first tournament on April 5. Photo by Erin Gregory
The womenâs Ultimate Frisbee team, the Yetis, reflect back on their first tournament win of the season on April 5 in Miami.
Senior team member Melissa Guziak said the teamâs knowledge of the sport and strategies has improved this year, thanks to new coach Kate Taylor. Taylor had previously played at Ohio University.
Before this year, the team was self-coached. Senior Kate Johnson said it can be difficult for players to critique themselves and others while they are players themselves.
âThe new coach has a better capacity to analyze and brings a different perspective,â Johnson said.
Junior Abby Bennett said the biggest difference sheâs noticed in the team is the change in outlook.
âNow we think about strategy and get our head in the game, while before we were more focused on fun and learning the sport,â Bennett said.
Bennet said the team is going to have to focus on learning and teaching again in the fall, however, after the teamâs 9 seniors graduate this year.
The Yetis played four tournaments this year, and there can be anywhere from 7-9 games in each tournament. They hope to make it to the regional tournament next year.
Jaques Fraqua, a street artist and social justice advocate, poses next to one of his pieces in New York City. Photo from lichiban.com
By Catie Beach Transcript Correspondent
Graffiti artist and indigenous rights activist Jaque Fragua came to Ohio Wesleyan last Tuesday evening to share how he paints the streets in an attempt to spark political change.
âJaque Fragua: Public Art and the Indigenous Sovereignty Movementâ was a part of Citizens of the World (COW) Houseâs annual programming series âCelebrating Our World Week,â in honor of on-campus and global diversity.
The lecture, held in the Benes Rooms, was one of several diversity-themed events, including the screening of âBlack Gold,â a film about fair trade coffee, t-shirt decorating on the JayWalk and an âaround the worldâ picnic.
COW Houseâs moderator, senior Ashley Maderas, got the idea to bring Fragua to campus when watching a TED Talk featuring photojournalist Aaron Huey.
His case study of the U.S. governmentâs devastating violations of the 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty inspired him to organize Native artists, advocacy groups and allies to start the art-advocacy organization Honor the Treaties, of which Fragua is a member.
An Artistâs Inspiration
A Jemez Pueblo hailing from New Mexico, Fraguaâs artwork speaks about human rights abuses occurring on reservation lands, as well as the historic exploitation of his peopleâs culture.
âWhen one is oppressed, you naturally start pulling apart the layers to see whatâs wrong,â Fragua said in his lecture. âWhen you get to the core you see itâs systematic.â
Some of his vibrant murals are abstract in subject matter, and reflect his voice as a Native artist working to reclaim ancient symbology, stolen and exploited by outside cultures for commercial use.
Other murals raise awareness of the systematic marginalization of Native peoples living on reservations. He references the increased abuse of Native women, mass shortage of clean water and government exploitation of sacred lands.
Maderas hopes her peers recognize the dual responsibility of celebrating diversity through Fraguaâs message.
âI donât just want people to celebrate the differences of Jaqueâs culture,â she said.
âI want people to get angry. I want people to realize that there are some groups we donât talk about. Some people donât recognize that the government is at fault.â
The mission of âCelebrating Our World Weekâ urges students to simultaneously celebrate cultural differences, and support those trying to reconcile inequality. Fraguaâs work and philosophy exemplify his mission.
âIn Pueblo culture, balance is at the core of everything,â he said. âItâs about the dichotomy. I see art that way. I see life that way.â
The results of the Young Alumni Challenge. Image: youngalumni.owu.edu
Recent graduates have the lowest donation rates amongst all alumni, and the Alumni Office is trying to change it.
On average, 20 percent of graduating classes participate in giving back, however that is much lower amongst young alumni. This year 6.4 percent of young alumni donated.
Part of the lower rate stems from less secure financial situations among recent graduates.
From student loans to tight budgets, many alumni feel like they canât afford to donate so early.
âWhile I feel motivated to donate without a nudge, I can understand the reality of not giving back as the norm,â said AJ Alonzo (â13).
Gloria Clark (â11) said she understands the universityâs need for donations in order to function. She said she feels a personal connection with the school, and the times she had were positive enough to warrant giving back. Sentiments such as this are what the Alumni Office is looking to foster.
âParticularly with our young alumni whatâs important isnât the amount that is given back, but it is building a culture of philanthropy,â said Pablo Villa, (â13), Young Alumni Program Coordinator.
Villa, who also serves as the universityâs Phonathon Coordinator, touched on many of the other benefits that come from alumni giving. US News and World Report take alumni donation participation rates into consideration when creating their college rankings, meaning higher donation rates can help improve OWUâs rankings.
He added that donations received could go towards improving the student experience while also strengthening academics.
This in turn would make the degree already held by alumni have an even higher value, and so there are benefits to graduates as well.
In an effort to increase donation rates, the Alumni Office coordinated the 2014 Young Alumni Challenge. Officially held from March 1 through April 1 of this year, the challenge was a competition between past 10 graduating classes for highest amount of donor participation.
Participation was the focus, as each class was measured based on the percentage of their class that gave. While the completion lasted just one month, gifts made earlier that calendar year were also included.
For the winning class, they would have their gift matched by Ellen Simpson â77. The class of â12 won with 41 donors comprising 11 percent participation.
With the Alumni Office gaining 136 new donors during the challenge, they will look to repeat the challenge next year and Villa hopes the sense of camaraderie built will spur giving in the future.
âIn my opinion the events thrown have been successful for getting young alumni to give back, with us young alums especially those with bars,â Alonzo said.
âAnything that has a more personal feel like letters in the mail and face to face interaction, make a big impact.â
Clark pointed out that those efforts are what need to increase, as phone calls are not working.
âWhile it may be effective with older alumni who may have fallen out of touch, we just graduated and those calls arenât pushing us to donate,â she said.
âI think promotion of events has helped, and the emails coupled with social media work out well.
âHopefully they will build on this even more and announce the winners of each challenge at graduation or put a banner up in HamWil to let the campus know.â
Colleen Lilly packs her car with food she collected for three households who could not provide their own transportation to the church. Photo by Hannah Urano
âNumbers 93 to 100,â called Sister Sandy, over a din of muffled voices. âNumbers 93 to 100, you are up.â
The numbers refer to the order of individuals waiting to collect food during Mobile Food Market, held at Highpoint Church in Delaware.
Andrews House, a non-profit organization in Delaware, partners with the Mid-Ohio Foodbank twice a month to, âbring fresh food and groceries to individuals and families in communities where food access is limited,â according to the Andrews House Website.
Liz Bowman, the operations manager at Andrews House, said each Mobile Market attracts around 200 families.
âOur largest turnout was in November of 2013, where we served 304 households at one market,â she said. âIn 2013, we served a total of 5,087 households and data collected at sign in was used to determine that based on the number of individuals in the households, we served 13,213 people in 2013.â
Visitors at each Mobile Market are asked to sign in by noting their name, address, the total number of people in their household with a breakdown of their ages (0-17, 18-59, 60+).
They are then given a number based on the order they arrived in, and asked to wait in the churchâs recreation room.
Each Mobile Market, families begin arriving at the church hours before the noon start time.
Sister Sandy, an active community volunteer, calls out the numbers at the April 7 market.
âI do it because these people are just like me,â she said. âThey are hungry, just like me. I donât want anyone to slip through the cracks.â
Community members collect food. Photo by Hannah Urano
As a whole, Delaware is a relatively affluent county, with only 4.7 percent of households classified as living below the poverty level in 2013 (the lowest poverty rate in the state.)
However, Melinda Corroto, executive director of Andrews House, said around 18,000 people in Delaware County âhave hunger as an issue.â
âIt could mean they miss a meal a day, or a meal a week,â she said.
âBut in general, food security is an issue for them and we see that as a great need for our community.â
Many visitors indicate that they would not be able to make ends meet without the help they receive from the Mobile Market and other similar services.
Jerry Henderson and Ann Lesieur said they visit the Mobile Market twice a month.
âSince they reduced my food stamps to $15, I rely pretty heavily on this food,â Lesieur said.
âAlso, Iâm diabetic and they make sure they have special food for me here.â
David Braumiller, a self-proclaimed âDelaware landmark,â said he comes twice a month to collect food for himself and his wife.
âThe price of food makes it hard to get by,â he said. âWhen a gallon of milk is more than a gallon of gas itâs hard to chose which one to buy. I shouldnât have to chose.â
The waiting area is filled with community members of all ages. Several individuals, also waiting for their numbers to be called, nodded in agreement with Braumiller.
Colleen Lilly, who used to work at the Thomson Store at Ohio Wesleyan, said she was collecting food for three families in addition to her own.
âSome of my neighbors just donât have transportation,â she said.
âSo I like to help out when I can.â
According to their annual report, in the fiscal year 2013 the Mid-Ohio Foodbank distributed 48.6 million pounds of food and groceries, including 17.4 million pounds of fresh produce, among with the 20 counties and 550 organizations they serves.
Besides the Mobile Market, Corroto said Andrews House provides several additional services to the disadvantaged in the area including: a free summer lunch program for children; Grace Clinic, which offers free medical care for the uninsured weekly; and, a legal clinic, which provides free legal service for those who qualify.
âMy favorite part of my job is getting to know the people in the community, from the volunteers to the people we serve and everyone in between,â Corroto said.
Career Services began a new initiative this semester in an attempt to reach out to more students. The âCareer Pit Stopsâ are a mobile operation that travels to academic buildings to make Career Counselors more accessible for students.
Nancy Westfield, assistant director of Career Services, said she has drop-in hours from 1-3 p.m. every day, but that there are a lot of students who have class during those times.
So far this semester, the Pit Stops have included Sanborn Hall, Edgars Hall, Schimmel-Conrades Science Center, Phillips Hall and University Hall.
Sophomore Natalie Wood, a music major, said she spends a lot of time in Sanborn and said she appreciated Career Servicesâ effort. Because Sanborn is far from the rest of academic campus, the music students often miss out on opportunities students can access in HamWill.
âWe [music majors] often feel neglected by some of the campus services, so it was really nice that they came to us,â Wood said.
âI donât think many music majors have the time to make an appointment so it was nice for several of them to be able to talk to some career [counselors] on the fly.â
Students can get help with resumes, cover letters, job and internship searches and networking at the Pit Stops.
If students need a more detailed meeting, they can sign up at the pit stops for a follow-up appointment in the career services office.
âWe are thinking about extending the hours next semester, in order to reach out to even more students,â Westfield said.
Westfield said she cannot determine how effective the Pit Stops are until the end of the semester.
Senior Tim OâKeeffe poses with a llama at the camp where he will work full time before beginning a job in New York City at NBC. Photo from Tim O’Keeffe
By Megan Dill and Jenna Periandri Transcript Reporter and Transcript Correspondent
In just under a month, Ohio Wesleyan Universityâs class of 2014 will be entering into a new chapter of their undergraduate careers with an array of emotions, but not without support from OWU.
The Office of Career Service has made great strides to make sure this yearâs seniors follow their postgraduate goals.
âThrough individual counseling, creative programming and technological services, we help students to identify and enhance networks and skills necessary to achieve career goals and to become actively engaged in a global society,â states the Career Service Mission Statement.
According to senior Adrian Pekarcik, OWU has helped him to prepare for the future with career planning and lifelong decision-making.
âThe job search is competitive, but I have found some places thanks to the OWU career center,â Pekarcik said. âI am waiting on two jobs [for] which I had phone interviews.â
Pekarcik said he hopes to do botany research in regards to restoration ecology.
Career Services has effectively helped a number of seniors with job experience through advertisement on Twitter and Facebook, helping them lead to jobs after graduation.
In regards to Career Serviceâs âinternship advertisingâ Facebook page, the following was posted on Wednesday:
âAs a senior, the Bishop Externship experience has shown me that not only do I have the skills to perform in a professional environment, but I can also thrive in one,â said Nicole Dianzumba.
âIt took some of the edge off the anticipation of graduating.â
Senior Jenn Frey is still waiting for a job after graduation in hopes of the Career Services can help. â
Currently, I have nothing lined up, yet Iâve applied to over 40 jobs, some of which I found through OWU Career Services,â Frey said. âAs of right now, I am excited for graduating and moving on to the next chapter in my life.â
Senior Emily Hostetler is another undergraduate that has been helped by OWU in so many ways.
âFrom internship to job experience, and more, the faculty and OWU Career Services has helped me to find programs in my area of study,â she said.
âI donât have anything lined up for after graduation, but I have some awesome opportunities in both research and journalism.â
Senior Anthony Fisher will be moving on to work at investment banking firm, Madison Street Capital. Fisher believes that grades are far less important than networking when it comes to finding a job.
âWhat sets you apart are not how well you did, itâs who you met,â said Fisher. âIâm a capable human being with a decent at best GPA. I got the internships and opportunities because I met people or knew them and asked for help.â
Senior Tim OâKeeffe has two jobs in the works. Heâll be working as an exotic animal trainer in Missouri this summer and will then start a career as a NBC production assistant for a new drama, âBabylon Fieldsâ.
âI decided to defer law school to pursue this opportunity,â said OâKeeffe. âI never thought I would be in the TV industry but when I saw a unique opportunity I really wanted to seize it.â
OWU Career Services is available daily with information on Twitter, Facebook, and in their main offices on the third floor of Hamilton-Williams Campus Center.
Senior Sadie Slager said sheâs eager to start working for OWU as a research associate in Mowry Alumni Center and to remain in the Columbus area.
âIâm really excited for the opportunity to give back to OWU in this way because I am so passionate about this university and all the opportunities it has provided me,â Slager said. âI think if I hadnât been offered this opportunity at OWU I would have searched for something similar at another university or institution, so I am very happy that the job is at my future alma mater.â
A selection of baby clothes at the Common Ground Free Store Ministries. This store provides everything from baby clothes to houseware items to books, all at no cost to those who need them. Photo by Emily Feldmesser
A couple blocks away from Selby Stadium thereâs a store that is, for some, considered to be more than a place to get goods.
The Common Ground Free Store Ministries is a free store, which means everything is completely free of charge for the patrons of the store.
âOur mission statement is to share in Godâs gifts with the community,â said Sherri Fitzpatrick, volunteer manager.
âWe do this by meeting local need for food, household items, clothing, shoes, toys, etc. to whomever needs it.â
They provide free goods to about 21,000 people in Delaware County, according to Lori Falk, the executive director of the Common Ground Free Store Ministries.
They also served more than 18,000 meals in 2013.
Falk said there is a meal served each day the store is open, and the store is open four days a week.
âWe serve 100-125 hot meals every day the store is open, making us the largest free community meal provider in the county,â Fitzpatrick said.
The food is provided by the volunteers and cannot be prepared in the organizationâs kitchen, so the meals are considered to be âa community potluck,â according to Falk.
âCommon Ground Free Store Ministries is a partnership between Delaware County churches, business, civic organizations and caring citizens,â according to the Free Storeâs website.
Falk said this organization is faith-based, with over 30 church partners and a synagogue involved.
Falk also said there were over 1,200 volunteers that came through their doors in 2013.
The Free Store gets donations from citizens of Delaware, plus Panera Bread, Kroger Grocery Store and Ohio Wesleyan University.
All the donations are tax deductible, and the organization is a non-profit.
Falk said this free store is the only common ground free store that she knows of.
She said there are other free stores in surrounding counties, but they all cater to different needs.
Some give out mattresses and bedding, while others focus more on home goods.
There are many types of goods that the Free Store gives, ranging from infant clothes to books.
Falk said there is a limit on how many items people can take at one time, and the store has a computer system that tracks the numbers.
Falk also said the average amount people come in to get items is once or twice a year.
According to the February 2014 Ohio Poverty Report, Delaware County was had a poverty rate ranging from 4.7 to 7.9 percent.
According to Fitzpatrick, the Free Store has about 20 families that come regularly to eat that are homeless or what would be considered âtransitionally homeless.â
âWe have transiently served hundreds more over the life of the Free Store,â Fitzpatrick said.
âThey (the homeless) say they come not just because they can get food, but because we are loving and they donât feel judged,â she added.
Itâs no secret that I am a strong advocate for mental illness awareness and resources. Iâve written several columns about the issue in response to the changes in Counseling Services that have occurred over the last year. While our Counseling Services office is still in need of attention, I truly believe Ohio Wesleyan students take understanding and respecting mental illnesses very seriously. One of the biggest factors that led me to choose OWU was the studentâs general sense of awareness, and in my time here I have seen students undertake remarkable efforts in speaking out about mental illness awareness.
The level of compassion and understanding towards mental illness at OWU was made even clearer to me yesterday, when I received a phone call from someone very close to me. He struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety, and earlier that day the dean of students at his university called him into his office.
The dean told him someone had reported him for âmaking weird soundsâ in the library, and that he needed to âcontrol his behavior.â
He told the dean he was sorry for the disruption, explaining that he has conditions that make it difficult for him to sit still and ignore his ticks. He started crying, and told the dean he would refrain from using the quiet floor.
The dean responded saying that he should not use the library at all if his âhe continues this very unusual behavior.â
The deanâs comment infuriates me for several reasons.
First, telling someone who just told you they have a mental illness that their behavior is âunusualâ is not okay. The second element of the deanâs comment that I take offensively is his implication that the behavior can be controlled or stopped. If someone tells you he has a mental disorder, you cannot disregard the severity of that situation.
Itâs like telling someone with an elephant on their back to âshrug it off,â without acknowledging the fact that the two tons of mammal on his shoulders might make it difficult to free himself. If my friend could stop his âbehavior,â he would. No one wants to take four hours to write a one-page paper because they canât stop twitching.
Finally, one of the most heartbreaking aspects of the deanâs response, to me, is that the dean clearly does not realize the severity of mental illness. Mental illness can be hard to understand, but it is so crucial that we as a society acknowledge it. It is a problem, and thatâs why we shouldnât make it worse by perpetuating a culture that does not take it seriously.
Hearing about this incident made me sadder than I can express, but it also made me proud of my school.
This university is in the midst of figuring out issues with Counseling Services, but I truly believe students in our community have been able to support one another and raise awareness over mental illness regardless. Iâve seen students here advocate for Counseling Services, talk freely on stage about their mental illnesses and support one another when we lose one of our students to mental illness.
I feel people here talk about mental illness and try to understand it. While my friendâs experience breaks my heart, it makes me proud to attend a school that takes so much pride in advocacy for all issues.
