The Transcript – Page 135 – This is the archive of our old website

Global Grab: Still-missing MH 370, unrest in Ukraine, Egypt executions

The Issue: MH 370

On Monday, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced the missing plane went down in the southern Indian Ocean. The new confirmation came from Inmarsat, a British company that provided the satellite data, and from the British air safety agency, according to the New York Times.

Families and friends of the 239 passengers and crew on board have been alerted via a text message from Malaysia Airlines about their loved ones’ death, according to the Washington Post.

In recent days, there were reports coming from Australia and China about sightings of what was suspected to be the plane, but the reports proved false.

The Issue: The Ukraine

President Barack Obama is currently in Europe and trying to deal with the situation in the Ukraine. According to the New York Times and CNN, President Obama is trying to convene an emergency meeting with the G7, a group of finance ministers of seven developed nations. Members of the G7 include: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The G7 was formerly the G8, but Russia was expelled due to the Ukraine situation.

President Obama has made the statement, “Europe and America are united in our support of the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people. We’re united in imposing a cost on Russia for its actions so far.”

According to CNN, both the United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions and travel bans to people who have links to Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior Russian officials.

The Issue: Egypt

529 people were sentenced to death after the conviction of murder for the killing of a police officer. According to the Washington Post, this is the largest capital punishment case on record in Egypt.

The murder occurred during the rioting after former President Mohamed Morsi was ousted from power. Also, there was the attempted murder of two other police officers, along with an attack on a police station.

According to the New York Times, this verdict was the “latest in a string of harsh and speedy sentences against supposed Islamist supporters of the deposed president.”

Since the Arab Spring occurred three years ago, Egypt’s government has been unstable, and this sentencing is an example of the corruption that is going on throughout this country.

Two weeks in five days

Women’s Week Preview
By Sara Jane Sheehan
Transcript Reporter

Women’s Week, an annual series of programs started in the 1980s, has begun again this year and will soon make history.

Friday night’s program will be a performance of “Butterfly Confessions” – the first time it has been read without the direct involvement of its author Yetta Young.

“Butterfly Confessions” is a series of monologues on the experiences of women of color and raising awareness about violence against women and the effects of HIV/AIDS.

It is being performed in conjunction with “The Vagina Monologues,” a similar set of readings that has been held on campus for several years.

The Women’s House (WoHo), House of Peace and Justice, House of Black Culture and Citizens of the World House have all collaborated in planning the week.

For WoHo, led by junior moderator Meredith Harrison, the main focus has been on Thursday’s Take Back the Night.

At Take Back the Night, an annual event, students share experiences with sexual violence and march afterward.

“The event has become so well attended that we have been breaking fire code in Bishop Cafe, where the event has been held for a long time,” Harrison said.

“Moving Take Back the Night to Benes (Room) B allows greater attendance at the event.”

Harrison also said that Women’s Week is collaborating with Green Week by giving points to Green Week teams who attend events.

Junior Lauren Rump, a WoHo resident, said she is excited for all of the events that are offered this week.

“I hope the week brings continued awareness to a variety of women’s issues that women are dealing with at our campus, nationally and globally,” Rump said.

“I hope the week can also serve as a way for people to come together to celebrate, heal, empower and act.”

Harrison said she hopes this week will bring OWU’s attention to women’s issues that people do not necessarily think about.

“Women of color, global women, women in poverty, queer women and many other women are often left out of the conversation when it comes to women’s issues,” Harrison said.

“I hope people attend all the events, but especially the events that discuss some of the intersecting identities.”

Green Week Preview
By Megan Dill
Transcript Reporter

‘Butterfly Confessions’ vitally grows our heads, hearts

Photo: Pocketbook Monologues on Facebook

On Tuesday night I was privileged to attend and photograph the dress rehearsal for this weekend’s performances of “Butterfly Confessions” and “The Vagina Monologues.”

I know the latter fairly well — I first read it for the introductory women’s and gender studies course and saw the Ohio Wesleyan production last year. Its power and beauty show through strongly this year, and it is just as important as ever that we as a campus community see it and hear what it has to say.

But “Butterfly Confessions” was entirely new to me, in more ways than one.

The work by Yetta Young is itself a new play. It’s only been produced a handful of times and is soon to be published. But on top of that, it gave me new knowledge from a perspective that is so routinely and unapologetically silenced — the voice of black women.

Black women’s lives are imposed upon by our political, economic and social institutions, and the media perpetually obscures these realities by presenting damaging stereotyped images of black women that are in many ways part of the legacy of slavery.

In the wake of these misrepresentations, white people and others come to believe them and consequently perpetuate the racism and misogyny that we as a society purport to be against. The fact is that mainstream media make it difficult for we who have not lived such an experience to relate to and understand black women. The misrepresentations are one of many components of racism that have inhibited our cognitive and emotional ability to identify with those we feel are alien to us.

“Butterfly Confessions” shatters these misrepresentations.

Contained in the show are powerful voices about issues particularly relevant to black women such as HIV/AIDS and incest, and about black women’s relationships with their families, spouses, lovers and each other. The stories within it are hilarious, moving and enlightening.

The OWU production is groundbreaking in a few respects: it is the first to be produced without Young’s involvement, the first on a college campus and the first with a multiracial cast. The latter fact gives it a unique and powerful multiplicity of voices that shows the play is neither particular to a handful of characters nor a monolithic, universalizing voice for black women.

As I sat in Gray Chapel on Tuesday night, the enormity of the space was not lost on me. I think it’s significant that “Butterfly Confessions” is being performed there because it symbolizes the incredible importance of its message and the size of the stake I and the OWU community as a whole have in seeing it.

At stake for us is our emotional capacity to relate to, understand and love our fellow human beings. Mainstream media portrayals inhibit this capacity with respect to black women — the misrepresentations alienate us from them and give us an incomplete picture of their lives.

In defying these misrepresentations, “Butterfly Confessions” is important because it has the potential to restore that capacity. It offers a voicing of black women’s experiences that hasn’t been filtered through corporate interests and hundreds of years of violent racism we are privileged to be able to hear such voices because they give us a more meaningful understanding of each other as a community.

Go into Gray Chapel with an open mind and an open heart on Friday evening. Both will be swelling with knowledge and love by the end of the evening.

Masculinity and mom jeans: a tale of two presidents

While the Russian invasion of Crimea has captured the world’s attention, media discussions on it — particularly statements made by some Fox News guests and commentators – are also worthy of attention.

This column may have been more relevant last week if there’d been space, but it’s fitting that it runs instead during Women’s Week — six days of programming on gender inequality.

A central aspect of the criticism by far right commentators on how President Obama’s handled the Crimea crisis is that he’s not been tough enough, particularly compared to Russian “strongman” Vladimir Putin, who takes land by force.

For example, analyst Ralph Peters, a former Army officer, said Putin was “a real leader” and President Obama was incapable. And in describing Putin’s actions, Ralph Giuliani said “that’s what you call a leader.”

(Disclosure: the quotes, among others, were used in a Daily Show segment.)

But their criticisms didn’t stop there — they go beyond just geopolitics into personal habits and their reflections on masculinity.

To cite a well circulated conservative talking point, Putin poses shirtless or with tigers, while President Obama wears “mom jeans.”

What exactly that has to do with international politics, I’m still not sure. But their clear subtext is that Obama isn’t man enough to face off with Putin, and it’s putting the U.S. and the world in danger.

Ironically, this is probably the only time they’ll say a black man appearing tough and intimidating those around him would be a good thing, rather than a justification for shooting him. But I digress.

In their comments on Putin and Obama, the Fox News personalities — including former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin — recycle tired narratives on gender roles.

Masculine figures such as Putin take what they want and don’t care what other people say or do. Feminine ones — such as Obama — are afraid to act and are weak.

But why is this idea of masculinity a good thing? Is invading another nation’s territory at gunpoint, in defiance of international law, really something to admire? I sure don’t think so.

And for all the arguments that our President’s response has been ineffectual, what good would playing our whole hand of sanctions do now if Russia doesn’t back down? Then we’d have nothing left but to send in troops.

In terms of American masculinity, the ideal response would have been to immediately send troops in to drive the Russians out, but in the real world we’d probably all be buried under radioactive ash if that had been done.

While there should be no question that women and those who do not identify within the gender binary are the most oppressed in terms of gender, constructions of masculinity can also stifle and wound men.

It’s not for nothing that the maker of the award-winning documentary “Miss Representation,” about how women are portrayed in media, is now following up with “The Mask You Live In,” about how men are portrayed in media.

Men are told to stand up for themselves, to respond to pain with anger and violence rather than any other emotion — especially not tears — and never ever be perceived as feminine (example A: ‘mom jeans’).

It’s why “b*tch” is an insult thrown at men, and a particularly damaging one; a factor that drives homophobia and domestic (sometimes even sexual) violence; and what makes it especially difficult for male survivors of sexual violence to share their experiences.

And that’s why the programming this week is so important, especially Take Back the Night — because while it is called Women’s Week and these are issues that primarily affect women, patriarchal masculinity and its constructions have negative effects on all of us.

Don’t judge a punk rock band by its name

A new punk band has exploded on the music scene, and they’re making a buzz for themselves, if only by name alone.

Perfect Pussy, the five-piece group from Syracuse, New York has made a splash at concerts and festivals, most recently at the acclaimed South By Southwest Festival in Texas.

The group is known for their 15-minute sets, because lead singer Meredith Graves screams so violently on stage that she becomes physically ill. Stage antics aside, this band is good. Lately, there have been numerous “punk” bands that have been making waves on the music scene, but none of them truly have the raw, unadulterated passion that Perfect Pussy has.

Graves reminds me of a rougher Kathleen Hanna of the 90s band Bikini Kill. Graves has the Riot Grrrl quality, which is the 90s feminist musical movement.

Many bands try to capture this aesthetic, but few actually achieve it.

Their debut album, “Say Yes To Love,” only came out March 18, but this band seems to be making an impact everywhere they go.

Rolling Stone magazine listed it as one of their “27 Must-Hear Albums” and the music website, Pitchfork, which is notoriously tough on new music, gave the an 8.6 out of 10 on their scale, and also listed the album as “Best New Music.”

I like this album. Sure, the lyrics are unintelligible, but the passion and quality of music is apparent.

According to Pitchfork, “Graves has said that her bandmates…usually record a totally clean track first, and then she and the keyboardist…come in and ‘make noise on purpose.’”

The album is only 23 minutes long, which makes it a great album to listen to over and over again. After a few listens, I actually started to make out the lyrics.

You get a sense of urgency and angst in these songs, but it’s not the annoying kind. It’s the kind that you understand and feel yourself.

You understand what this woman is going through in her sense of anger and frustration in her lyrics. One of my favorite lines I managed to make out was at the end of the song, “Dig”: “If I’m anything less than perfection/Well shit, nobody told me!”

If you want to be on the cutting edge, cool side of music, this band is worth a listen. Just be careful Googling them.

How Ohio Wesleyan met Josh Radnor

Josh Radnor, a liberal arts alum, spoke to Ohio Wesleyan students about his life as an actor, writer and director.
Photo by Jane Suttmeier

“Down-to-earth” has become one of the more contrived terms to describe celebrities, but still one that seems to perfectly encompass Ohio Wesleyan’s evening with actor, writer, director and advocate for kindness, Josh Radnor.

Best know for his role as Ted Mosby on Fox’s sitcom, “How I Met Your Mother,” Radnor’s appearance drew a large crowd in Chappelear Drama Center last Wednesday.

Audience members weren’t quite sure what to expect from Radnor, and as it turned out, Radnor didn’t quite know what to expect from himself. According to Radnor, in the past he had given a speech at a university and realized that the part he enjoyed the most was administering a question and answer session with the students.

Because his favorite portion of the evening is talking to students, Radnor explained that, “that is what these talks have evolved into, basically this is me saying that I don’t have anything planned, I don’t know what we’re going to talk about…something generally comes up.”

Freshman Caroline Paul said she didn’t come to the show with many expectations, and was told to attend by an avid How I Met Your Mother fan.

“I’m just excited to see what he has to say,” Paul said.

Another audience member, freshman Kristen Canda said, “My brother watched the show a ton so I’m kind of here to just say that I saw Radnor, I’m going to send him pictures to make him jealous.”

Canda also pointed out the lack information about the lecture’s subject matter.

“I have no idea what he is going to talk about, I mean I assume its going to be like his life story type of thing, like a biography, but I really don’t know what to expect at all,” she said.

Before delving into his discussion of transitioning from a small Ohio town to becoming an actor with seemingly endless opportunities, Radnor provided the audience with snacks that he had been given but evidently didn’t want.

“Are there any potassium-deficient people in the audience?” Radnor asked jokingly while handing a bunch of bananas to a student in the front row.

Radnor may not have intended it, but his talk eventually digressed into a sort of life advice session. The latter half of his two-hour discussion was solely dedicated to responding to questions from audience members, which largely comprised of inquires related to succeeding in the world of acting.

It was easy to see from the manner in which Radnor addressed student’s questions that he genuinely wanted to help students. His solutions came by providing students with anecdotes from his own life and career.

In response to a question of what has helped him most throughout his career, Radnor said, “My dad said something to me that I always thought was the best bit of advice that I’ve gotten; he said character doesn’t count in the short term, it counts in the long term.”

He advised the audience that the best way to “make it” is to be kind.

“It is a personality business, don’t give up your character for a short term gain, because you’re not going to get it back,” he said.

He also pointed to specific parts of his life that have helped him in the long term such as growing up in a small mid-west town that taught him to have a humble attitude, and attending a liberal arts school, Kenyon College, that forced him to explore various fields of study that a specialized acting institution would not have provided.

Sophomore Nicole Nitty, one of the CPB presidents, said there were extra available tickets to sell at the door, and some people who had bought tickets ahead of time did not end up attending the talk.

“I think (the event) went well, I’ll wait to see what people say around campus about it,” Nitty said. “I think people involved with the theatre definitely got a lot out of it.”

Radnor’s attitude and manner of hosting the event made it seem more like the audience was chatting with him over a cup of coffee at a small café, rather than sitting with 300 other people and watching him on stage.

“I’m just someone who loved the theatre and banged on the door until they let me in,” Radnor said.

New coach brings fresh expectations

Tom Drabczyk, Jr. Ohio Wesleyan’s new head tennis coach said his job has been a process.

“OWU has had great tradition in tennis, we are building the culture necessary to grow the program moving forward and bring us back to the glory days,” Drabczyk said.

Junior Whitney Lonnemann said Drabczyk has been an asset to the team.

“Our coach this year is pushing us harder and doing everything he can so that we improve,” Lonnemann said. “He is investing a lot of his time and has helped me improve my game.”

Lonnemann said this year the women’s team has a deeper bond.

“My goal for this year is to improve our overall record from last year as well as move up in the NCAC rankings,” Lonnemann said. “Personally, I am working on improving my mentality during matches because that is just as important as the strokes and technique.”

Drabcyzk said he is impressed with how the teams have adapted and improved throughout the season.

Senior Rich Karban said the beginning of the season was a little rough for him, but seems to be improving. He said he is excited to finish his last season strong and hopes to make the conference tournament.

Impossible to ignore

Junior post LaNiece McRae drives to the basket at Branch Rickey Arena. McRae was honored as a member of the all-NCAC second team.
Photo from battlingbishops.com

Why the 2013-2014 women’s basketball season will never be forgotten

For NCAC Coach of the Year, Stacey Ungashick-Lobdell, her troop of assistants and her 16 players, the 2013-2014 women’s basketball season was one to remember.

The Lady Bishops finished 12-4 in the NCAC, going 18-9 overall by riding an 8 game win streak at the end of the season that started Jan. 29 and ended Feb. 25.

Ungashick-Lobdell said the team’s non-conference schedule difficulty helped prepare them for a tough season.

“St. Lawrence University, Emmanuel College, and Calvin College were all receiving votes for the top 25 preseason. I really just think that playing those games set the bar for the level we wanted to play on.”

The team’s finest win happened Feb. 22 against conference powerhouse DePauw University. The team won 65-64, a result of their two rebound advantage on the boards and 54 percent shooting from the field.

The win snapped DePauw’s 58 game winning streak and 77 game regular season win streak. Also, the two-time defending NCAC champs’ 55 game conference winning streak was erased.

Senior Tamra Londot said she will remember the DePauw win for the rest of her life.

“Words can’t even describe the feeling after beating DePauw! I couldn’t have asked for a better senior day” Landot said. “We had a really great week of practices leading up to it and our confidence level was right where it needed to be. We never let down the momentum the entire game and we left everything on the court. It was by far the best memory while playing at OWU.”

Junior Sarah McQuade and junior LaNiece McRae earned second team all-NCAC laurels at the seasons end. McQuade ranked third in the conference in assist, while McRae ranked second in blocks.

McRae also led her team in points with 10.3 per game, and in rebounds, 7.4 per game. She said her coaches have attributed tremendously to her growth as a player.

“In practice they demand my teammates and I to use moves that we aren’t usually comfortable with. This added to the moves we could successfully use during games,” she said. “The coaches also continued to remind us how much better we could be if we didn’t settle with where we were at, no matter how many ‘good games’ we had.”

Ungashick-Lobdell said this season is a tribute to her players’ and assistant coaches’ hard work.

“I think going from winning nine games our first year, eight games our second season and 18 now definitely shows all the work we’ve been putting in is paying off,” she said.

“We’re at a place now where we expect to win which was an obstacle for two years. Believing in each other and knowing how to make each other better is how a team grows into reaching their potential every season.”

Sprinkler floods Stuyvesant Hall

A member of the Delaware Fire Department removes water from the second floor of Stuyvesant Hall, where a sprinkler flooded a room late Friday morning. Photo by Noah Manskar

Some residents of Stuyvesant Hall’s second floor are drying out their belongings after a sprinkler flooded the second floor Friday morning.

Director of Public Safety Robert Wood said a Stuyvesant resident placed a hanger on the sprinkler head in their room, causing the sprinkler’s glass trigger to break.

“(There was) no fire and nothing other than an accident, but a messy one,” Wood said in an email.

Public Safety evacuated the building and Buildings and Grounds staff turned off the water flowing to the room. Wood said Public Safety also talked with the students involved.

According to Meredith Dixon, Residential Life coordinator for Stuyvesant and Hayes Halls, the flooding affected 15 rooms on the second floor, one on the first floor and the building’s kitchen area. Dixon said the flooding has not displaced any students.

Delaware Fire Department personnel arrived and assited with cleanup, which Buildings and Grounds continued throughout Friday afternoon.

“They got all the wet stuff out and the water sucked up, but some of the students will have to wash and clean their own stuff,” Wood said.

Senior Amanda Caserta said Residential Life informed her that the cleanup crew sanitized and bagged wet items.

“Thankfully it wasn’t as bad as the Smith flood two years ago, and they were on top of it trying to get the water cleaned up,” she said via Facebook.

Sophomore Connor Latz, a resident assistant on the second floor of Stuyvesant Hall, said he has been helping students find their items that were set outside to dry.

Dixon said she encourages students to be cautious around sprinkler heads.

“The best thing to know is to avoid hitting them with your body or objects you are carrying (or) moving, and to avoid hanging anything from them,” she said in an email.

Men’s lacrosse solely worried about winning

Photo: battlingbishops.com

Halfway through the season, the Bishops lacrosse team carries a 5-2 record into conference play.

After winning the NCAC’s inaugural tournament last season, members of the team feel ready for the raised stakes that come with every upcoming game.

Last year one of the team’s biggest goals was to win the conference, and this year is no different.

Coach Mike Plantholt elaborated on the reasoning behind this, as the conference tournament winner now automatically qualifies (AQ) for the NCAA tournament.

“In years past our conference didn’t have enough teams with lacrosse programs to create an AQ schedule. That changed last year, and now everyone is vying for that conference title, the stakes are higher.”

The team was predicted as the favorite to win the conference this year in the preseason coaches’ poll, and despite two disappointments feel confident.

Consistent Confidence

While they haven’t cracked the official top 20 rankings yet, junior Tommy Minkler says that rankings aren’t what matters to them.

“Our coach says a lot to take care of the little things and the big things will come, and our team buying in to being process rather than results oriented has helped us improve.”

Minkler was injured last year, suffering a tear to his ACL, MCL, and meniscus. He started playing for the team his freshmen year and is excited to contribute to this year’s efforts.

Minkler described the team as fast-paced, one who looks to get up early on teams and dictate the tempo.

He said in doing so they can force teams to play their game and take forced shots and settle for worse looks.

Defensively, the Bishops have been in the top 10 in team defense the past two years, and this year looks to be the same. Anchored by co-captains Steve Coin and Steve Barnett, three of this year’s four senior starters have played together, getting valuable playing time as a unit for the past three years.

Behind that defense is goalie Ryan McMahon. He has ranked in the top three in saves in the conference for three consecutive seasons. According to Planholt, he is a player other teams need to game plan for.

Spencer Schnell, recently drafted into the PLL’s Ohio Machine, is another threat on the team’s roster.

Minkler described him as a player who “could play on any other team in the country.”

The senior midfielder was drafted late last calendar year to play professionally as a result of making last years All American team.

Senior Casey Helms elaborated on the need for roles to change this season.

New Roles

“We lost about half of our starters from last year, but have plenty of veteran presence to step up and fill those spots,” Helms said.

“Personally, as a senior on the team my role has evolved into one of a leader, the younger guys look up to us all for an example, and I strive to be a good role model both on and off the field.”

In conference play, OWU’s biggest roadblock for repeating as conference champions is rival Denison.

The Denison Big Red is currently ranked number eight in D-III, and the Bishops get the chance to play them near the season’s end.

Helms said the team will be well prepared for the challenge by then, and at their peak.

“There is a noticeable change that I can see from week to week. We have taken huge strides to tighten things up, and I think that once we get into conference play we will really hit our stride,” Helms said.

The Bishops will begin conference play on March 22 against Oberlin, and will wrap up the regular season April 19 with a home game against Wittenberg.