The Transcript

	Q: How has the Elliott shutdown affected the proceedings of student board members? A: I haven’t been affected by the closing of Elliot Hall too much yet. The biggest inconvenience has been for professors who lost research, had books destroyed by the flooding and have had to relocate to a small location in the Stewart Annex. As a senior, I am sad I cannot go visit my professors in their own offices, but do not have any classes in the building this semester so I have not had to rearrange my schedule at all. The P &G Student Board has not planned any events yet for this semester, so we will just have to find another building for the events when the time comes.
	Q: What was the Public Safety office like the night the flood occurred? A: Officer Andy Roy was the first officer to discover the flood. He was working a basketball game and was leaving the game when he heard the outside alarm bell. If not for Andy’s keen sense of awareness, the damage would have possibly gone unaware for several more hours. The response from Lt. Cathy Hursey demands recognition also. Chris Hinshaw (from B&G), Cathy and Andy ran into a building that was flooding, not knowing if the ceiling might collapse or the possibility of electrical problems, they braved ankle deep water in the basement and a soaking downpour.
	Q: What are some of the specific difficulties you’ve had to face due to Elliott closing? A: Back-breaking packing and moving boxes. A loss of lecture notes for classes I’m teaching this semester. But since I rarely do lectures any more, losing my security blanket isn’t too big a loss. Q: How do you feel OWU has handled the situation? A: Beautifully! People all over campus have been incredibly kind and caring. The president wrote a very empathetic letter to all of us, the dean and provost worked days to find us accommodations and have reached out to us individually and campus police helped establish order but were flexible with our needs. We owe a large debt of gratitude to the Buildings and Grounds people who must have filled dozens of dump trucks with discarded books and file contents. Q: Did you have to deal with losses or destruction of personal items or important documents? A: I think the universe designed this to help me downsize. I’ve been at OWU for almost 30 years and had way too much stuff. So, that’s the silver lining in my having the office directly below where the sprinkler system broke. My slides from around the world can be remounted and finally digitized, I can buy another large picture book of “The Hobbit” I’ve been saving to read to my grandchildren, and I can email Paul Farmer, who sent me a signed copy of his latest book out of the blue and simply ask for another. Q: In what ways has OWU helped, or not, with relocating your office and classes to alternative buildings? A: I love being in Stewart Annex! It suits my 1960’s ideals for communal living. Besides, two of my closest friends, Connie Richards and Corinne Lyman, have their offices in the Annex. Pam Laucher and Kathy Frissora — they were ahead of us in anticipating needs for the move. They kept us appraised of decisions being made about access to Elliott and they have since made the Annex comfortable and homelike.
	Q: How was your office affected by the flooding? A: My office was pretty much untouched for the most part; actually it was totally untouched. Because I’m new here, I hadn’t really settled into my office and I didn’t have much in my office anyway. One, I didn’t lose anything, and two, I didn’t have much to pack up. All of my office fit into three boxes, I probably had the least of anybody in the entire building, I felt very lucky. Q: What is the biggest difficulty of being relocated to the Stewart Annex? A: Definitely the only, greatest difficulty for me has been meeting with students. That’s the main thing. We don’t have any personal space (in the Stewart Annex) and we need to give students that when we talk about personal, academic things. We have about three real rooms that are available, and although it’s not too frequent, they do get taken by other professors to talk to their students leaving you without a space to take yours. There was one time so far that all of the free spaces were occupied and there were no places to talk to students. Q: How has this affected others in the Stewart Annex? A: I know that we have a couple of student workers and it’s been difficult for us to find suitable spaces for them here, and I think a lot of faculty has difficulty getting work done. Some of us have had to scale back our office hours just because there isn’t enough room here to meet with students. Q: What would you say is the most emotionally trying element of the Elliott flooding? A: The worst part of it all is the amount of personal objects that were lost by faculty during the flooding and how much meaning were in those things. Like with Mary Howard’s lost rocking chair that she breastfed in — when you have experiences like that with certain objects and we lose them, those things are no longer just objects. Q: Are there any positives about relocating to the Stewart Annex? A: I guess as a bright spot, my colleagues and I have been joking around a lot and it kind of feels like we are in graduate school again.
	Q: Several of the parking space in the lot at 4 Williams Drive were changed from “B” spots used by students into “A” spots in order to accommodate the communications employees that were relocated to 4 Williams Dr. How has that inconvenience you or your friends? A: The parking situation is unfortunate. However, when the issue occurred I immediately called Public Safety to ask if they would only be ticketing during normal business hours. Luckily, I never need the B spots during the day. However, I do feel sorry for those students who live at 4 Williams and the times are inconvenient to them. What I will say is that there are absolutely no lights near 4 Williams parking lot and it is scary when you are alone. Other students feel exactly the same about our parking lot.

While Ohio Wesleyan has many Greek organizations, Kappa Phi is much lesser-known on campus.

“We are a Christian women’s service sisterhood that is present on campuses across the country,” said junior Marissa Witkovsky, president of Kappa Phi.  “In total there are approximately 30 chapters at different universities.”

“We focus on four areas: service, study, worship, and sisterhood,” she said.

Witkovsky said she has been involved with Kappa Phi for the past three years and has been president for the last two.

Sophomore Rebekah Mahoney, Kappa Phi’s pledge coordinator, said she joined the organization the fall of her freshman year and instantly fell in love with it.

“Kappa Phi is literally open to all Christian denominations or those who want to recapture their faith with God,” she said.

Freshman Courtney Cox recently joined this past fall and said she has gained many friendships and a closer connection to her faith.

Ohio Wesleyan’s Beta Gamma chapter of Kappa Phi currently has 20 members with different backgrounds, interests and majors.

Witkovsky, a zoology and botany double major, is also president-elect of the botany/microbiology student board and works three jobs.

Junior Makenna Huff, Kappa Phi chaplain, is a mathematics and religion double major and member of the Outdoor Ministry Team and mathematics student board.

Junior Katie Powell holds dual Greek membership, as she is Kappa Phi’s social chair and a member of Delta Zeta.

All five expressed how they want Kappa Phi to be displayed positively across campus.

“I think it would be beneficial for students to know it’s a welcoming space for women who just want to share their stories with a close group of varied, loving sisters,” Huff said.

During group meetings, which are held every Tuesday and Thursday, Kappa Phi work on service projects, volunteer locally and help with the fall’s Make a Difference Day.

On Jan. 28, the organization held Rose Tea, an event to get others interested.

Witkovsky said the Rose Tea helps to introduce possible members with “different Kappa Phi pillars.”

By Breanne Reilly

Transcript Reporter

William Kopp won national awards for his advertising campaigns at Columbus State Community College, and a key part of his new role as Ohio Wesleyan’s chief communication officer will be boosting enrollment.

According to President Rock Jones, Kopp was hired on Jan. 2 after a national search, led by committee chair Professor Glenn Bryan.

Bryan said that the role is critical in presenting the OWU brand and requires many different skills, including aspects of marketing, communication and support of the liberal arts.

In addition to his work at Columbus State, Kopp also worked as a speech writer for Ohio State University, and manager of corporate marketing and executive communications for Columbus-based Battelle Memorial Institute.

He said his goal is to market OWU to prospective students, their parents and alumni.

“Higher education is very competitive right now,” he said, adding that attracting students and donors through marketing is an important aspect. “…Marketing is really getting your story out there. You don’t want to be the best kept secret, you don’t want to be a hidden gem, you want everybody to know the good work going on here.”

Kopp said his main goals are to make the OWU website more “responsive” and easier to use on mobile devices, and increase and improve the use of video.

He spent the past few weeks working with a videographer to interview students about the OWU Connection, experiences in Travel Learning Courses and trips funded by Theory to Practice Grants.

“I want to find out what the real brand of Ohio Wesleyan is so I can tell that story,” Kopp said. “By brand I don’t mean slogan, I don’t mean a trademark or logo, it’s the essence of the place.”

Kopp said he interviewed nine students and created 13 different videos. The videos were shot and edited by a freelance videographer, Mark Van Horn, who previously worked at WCMH-TV.

Kopp said Van Horn’s work has won national awards and OWU will be paying him $960.

The videos will be used to raise funds for student scholarships and shown at the Board of Trustees’ retreat on Feb. 5-7.

According to Jones, the retreat will be held in Naples, Florida.  The purpose of the retreat is to review the Strategic Plan, review the proposed case statement for the upcoming campaign and to review the Student Housing Master Plan.

Jones said this is the first retreat in five years and it has the “best attendance” he has witnessed since he became president.

Kopp said the amount of students applying and enrolled at OWU has not decreased, but they want to increase numbers by sharing stories of successful OWU graduates with prospective students and their families.

“Parents want to know there is a future post-graduation,” Kopp said. “A survey of the class of 2013 showed that 94 percent of OWU graduates were employed, in graduate school or both.”

Dave Wottle, who has worked as interim vice president for enrollment since last fall, said Jones’ goal for the university is to attract 590 prospective students for the 2014 fall semester.

He added that a student’s academic record is the most important factor in determining acceptance.

Students who have a 3.5 or higher grade point average don’t have to submit their ACT or SAT test score.

Wottle said he also wants to improve the academic profile of the enrolled students, maximize the amount of revenue received from student tuition.

He also hopes to enroll a class diverse in socioeconomic class, ethnicity and international residency.

By Caleb Dorfman
Transcript Reporter

A cold spell sent temperatures well below zero last week, and raised the question of which weather conditions would lead to cancelled classes.

According to Craig Ullom, vice president of Student Affairs, President Rock Jones consults a group of individuals from various departments.

This group includes members of administration and finance, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Health Services, Public Safety and Buildings and Grounds.

“Information considered by the group comes from various sources including the NOAA National Weather Service, local weather information sources, and the Delaware County Emergency Management Center,” Ullom said.

Ullom said the team decided that in this particular weather incident, while it was very cold, there was no risk to someone walking to class as long as they dressed appropriately.

“I know it was very cold, because I walk to work every day,” he said.

Jones said if classes were cancelled, then they would also have to cancel sports practices, rehearsals and any other student events on campus.

A weather advisory email from Cole Hatcher, director of Media and Community Relations, stated classes would be cancelled if a Level 3 Snow Emergency was called.

According to the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department, a Level 3 Snow Emergency is put into effect when roadways are too hazardous to drive on.

Emails from both Jones and Hatcher gave students and faculty advice on how to dress for the weather.

According to Jones, if this type of weather occurs again, the university would increase the number of vans transporting students around campus.

Jones said he would also like to see the vans run later in the day.

The vans, which were driven by student, faculty and staff volunteers, ran from 7:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Tuesday, and from 7:30 a.m. until noon on Wednesday.

Temperatures on Tuesday dropped as low as 14 degrees below zero, with wind chill temperatures as low as 25 degrees below zero, according to the Weather Channel.

Junior Brandy Booth said she has lived in Ohio her entire life, and she has never experienced weather like this.

To cope with the cold, Booth said she “wore a lot of layers” and carpooled.

The snow and ice were an appropriate setting for many students who found new homes for next semester in this year’s Small Living Unit (SLU) recruitment.

SLUsh is the week-long period where the campus’s SLUs recruit residents. This year, they had a much larger number of applicants than usual, according to house moderators.

Applicants were informed of each SLU’s decision on Feb. 4 and have until the 10th to decide.

The process began with an all-SLU event Jan. 27 in Stuyvesant Hall to introduce interested student to each of the seven houses on campus.

Each SLU has a central theme. Houses include the Modern Foreign Language House (MFL), Citizens of the World House (COW), House of Thought (HoT), Interfaith House (IF), House of Peace and Justice (P&J), Tree House, and Women’s House (WoHo).

Freshman McKenna Brewer, applied to both COW and WoHo, and thought the process was fairly straightforward.

“I liked the smaller events at each of the houses I went to as well,” she said.

Brewer found out on Tuesday that she was accepted as a new member of WoHo.

Senior Alex D’Amore-Braver, moderator of House of Thought, said his house had five spots to fill and held 18 interviews.

He said this made the process very time-consuming, as they spent ten and a half hours holding interviews and deliberating.

While this may have led to some students being written off early, D’Amore-Braver said they “have a fantastic roster for next year.”

Senior Ashley Madera, moderator of Citizens of the World House, said they also have five full-year spots, as well as two for fall semester.

When searching for potential members, they consider three major aspects: passion, individuality and willingness to make COW their home.

“We want applicants who want to make COW their second home and not just a bed to sleep in,” she said.

Madera said they received 25 applications, which made the process a lot longer than usual.

“We really had to pick those individuals who stood out from the rest in all these areas rather than just one or two,” she said.

Sophomore Margot Reed, a resident of P&J, said her house accepted seven new members  for next semester out of 21 applicants.

“I think one of the biggest challenges that created was trying to pick people that would please everybody already in the house,” she said.

Reed said it finding a consensus among the 17 current members on one person is difficult, and even more so when there are eight spots.

Like House of Thought and Citizens of the World House, the Modern Foreign Language House also has five spots open.

Senior Kate Johnson, MFL moderator, said they look for dedication to the house’s mission, an open mind and a personality that matches well with current members.

“We are looking for students who are studying languages or native speakers of non-English languages who have a strong interest in promoting intercultural understanding,” she said.

To evaluate interested students, each SLU held a two-hour long open house, providing applicants with interview sign-ups for Feb. 1 and 2.

The week’s events concluded on Jan. 31, with a screening of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” by the House of Thought, other SLU residents and non-members.

Atheist and agnostic students now have access to campus resources provided by junior Avery Winston and senior Maddy Leader, with help from staff of the Chaplain’s and Service Learning Offices.

Currently, these resources are limited to a collection of books on the fourth floor of Hamilton-Williams Campus Center.

Last spring, Winston proposed a resource center for atheist and agnostic students, but the proposal was turned down due to a lack of funds, space and demand. Instead, Winston decided to set up the bookcase for interested students.

“It’s not just about religion; it’s about creating a safe zone for (atheist and agnostic) students,” he said. “There are books here about losing faith, about how to come out (as an atheist), about getting harmed by faith, living well and positively without faith.

“It’s just about showing people they’re not alone…I’m not worried about what’s taught in classrooms or anything.”

The books currently available are mostly from Winston’s personal collection and others donated by friends and alumni.

Winston said he is also seeking $500 from WCSA to get enough books to fill the case, a request that is still under review.

“We deserve something on campus that caters to people of our mindset,” he said.

Leader said her motivation comes in part from a perceived prejudice against agnostic and atheist students that she has encountered as a member of Freethinkers, a campus club that includes diverse views on faith and promotes open discussion of philosophical issues.

After becoming a cabinet member for Freethinkers, Leader and others posted calendars around campus outlining secular holidays.

“The next day, most had been torn down,” Leader said. “…One had been vandalized — scratched up with black marker so you couldn’t tell what was on it.”

Despite this, both say they have found an abundance of support from faith-based organizations on campus. In particular, Winston and Leader point to chaplains Jon Powers and William Hayes, the adviser for Freethinkers, as sources of support for their cause.

They also said Sally Leber, director of the Community Service Learning Office, helped them get permission to use the bookcase in HWCC to make these materials available to students.

Both students wanted to be clear they are merely trying to show support for atheist or agnostic students on campus.

According to Winston, while the materials may espouse a view that is not religious, they are not “proselytizing against faith.”

He said the effort is merely to contribute to the “diversity of thought” on campus and hopes others will understand that.