Puerto Rico still struggling post Hurricane Maria

By Meg Edwards

Staff reporter

mmedwards@owu.edu

As Delaware tackles snow emergencies and negative temperatures, some Ohio Wesleyan students remember other, more destructive natural disasters.

For Sandra Galindez (2020) and Alexander Sanchez (2022), both Puerto Rican students studying at OWU, Hurricane Maria was more than just a passing news story.

Puerto Rico, which is a United States protectorate with a population of over 3 million (according to the US Census Bureau) gained significant attention from US media after it was devastated by Hurricane Maria over sixteen months ago, in September of 2017. The official death toll from Puerto Rican officials is 2,975, referring to the thousands of people who died of conditions following the storm, such as a lack of electricity, fresh water, food, and access to medical care.

For Galindez and Sanchez, the hurricane had an impact even when they were far away in the midwest.

“I couldn’t go home for Thanksgiving,” junior Sandra Galindez said. “My mom said there were not enough rations.” Many houses on the island did not have electricity for over a year; for people like Ms Galindez’s father, who is a dentist, returning to work was impossible.

But Ms. Galindez also stressed that many Puerto Ricans who lived through the storm have no desire to recall all its details: they are eager to move on. “We don’t like to talk about it,” Galindez said. According to Ms. Galindez, time in Puerto Rico is broken into two periods: before Maria and after.

Alexander Sanchez, a sophomore, was able to visit his family in Puerto Rico over this past winter break, but he is not the only visitor to Puerto Rico recently. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) visited the island on January 22nd, using the trip to address the many communities still struggling and to criticize the current administration for its handling of the storm.

Sanchez says he hopes her visit will bring increased attention to the plight of Puerto Rico from mainland US citizens. Mr. Sanchez worries that this new attention may not be enough- “unless more politicians in both countries continue to bring attention to the issue.”

Shortly after the hurricane, USA Today published a poll with Suffolk University which showed that only 47% of Americans were aware that Puerto Ricans are US citizens from birth, and some observers pointed to this lack of understanding as a cause of the insufficient aid from the US government.

Galindez also expressed hope that Americans are gaining greater awareness of Puerto Rico’s existence, its status as a US protectorate, and its culture. When asked what she wishes more Americans knew about Puerto Rico, she said, “that we do not live in [shacks]… that we are still standing.”

Sanchez said he wishes more Americans understood how the development of Puerto Rican culture differed from that of mainland American culture, considering Puerto Rico’s history as a colony and America’s history as a colonial power.

“The colonial status of Puerto Rico is something that does still exist, and it is important for everyone to remain aware of the fact that this does influence many of the issues that surround the island both politically and culturally,” Sanchez said.

The attention that continues to surround Puerto Rico may be evidence that change is still on the horizon for the island, more than a year after the storm.

OWU rugby members get the chance to travel

By Claire Yetzer

Staff reporter

ceyetzer@owu.edu

It’s not just the retired who escape to Florida. Two Ohio Wesleyan students had the opportunity to travel to a warmer climate while representing the women’s rugby team.

On Jan. 19 and 20, two members of Ohio Wesleyan’s Women’s Rugby team participated in an All-Stars 7 tournament, hosted by the National Small College Rugby Organization in St. Petersburg, Florida. Jesse Sailer and Ariana Campos were chosen as seniors and captains of the OWU club team and helped form the Ohio Valley Women’s Collegiate All-Star Team.

The tournament is in its second year. It has expanded from 8 teams to 12 teams this year.

The  Ohio Valley All-Star team was made up of players from 5 small colleges. Players from Ohio Wesleyan University, Denison University, College of Wooster, University of Findlay and Tiffin University were nominated by their coaches and attended practices were chosen for this honor.

 

Yetzer: How long have you been playing rugby?

 

Sailer: Since my first semester freshman year.

 

Campos: I began by playing for the women’s soccer team my freshmen year but found it to be too big of a commitment time wise. So I decided to stop playing, and I started working as a waitress and then my roommates at the time both played rugby and got me to try it out. That was my sophomore year so I’ve been playing for 3 years now.

 

Yetzer: Why do you think that you were chosen to be a part of the all-star team?

 

Sailer: This was my second time being chosen to play for the Ohio Valley All-Star team, so I already had three and a half years of rugby under my belt as well as the experience and ability to play against harder competition. The coach was also choosing a lot of returners for the team and with that comes chemistry because you have this group of girls that have played with each other before and was able to help the newer players.

 

Campos: I believe I was chosen to be apart of the all-star team because of my athletic ability. I got really good at playing, it just came naturally to me and it’s honestly become my favorite sport

 

Yetzer: What are your strengths and weaknesses as a player?

 

Sailer: I played soccer and track in high school so I already had the athletic ability under my belt, it just took a while to become accustomed to the rules of rugby but once I got the hang of it I was able to excel on the field. So I think my overall ability of knowledge of reading the field and knowing what to do is a strength. Weakness would have to be my lack of patience. I get really heated if we have girls that aren’t passing or are making the same mistakes but it’s those moments where I need to remind myself that as a veteran who’s been playing a while, it’s my job to teach them and to make them better players.

Campos: My strengths are my speed and my voice. I also communicate a lot on the field because it’s very important for my team to know what’s happening. Communication on the field gets overlooked a lot because everyone is so into the game that we forget how important it is to be communicating because that puts us in a better position while doing less overall work to win the game.

 

Yetzer: What is your favorite thing about rugby and why do you play it?

 

Sailer: Tackling. It’s nice to play a sport where you can just body someone and completely lay them out. Contact sports are different in that they make you use all of yourself and there’s a lot of both physical and mental strength that goes into playing something like rugby.

 

Campos: My favorite thing about rugby is just the type of game it is. Rugby is a truly a hard sport to play because there’s a lot of contact. It’s a great feeling especially when they come to a game and watch you lay someone out. They respect you and if you get laid out they respect you too because we take those hits like champs. That’s why I love rugby, and I would definitely like to continue playing after I graduate from Ohio Wesleyan.

 

Yetzer: What is your relationship with your teammates like?

 

Sailer: I love my team, as well as the teams I play against. As intimidating as it might seem, if someone takes you to the ground they’ll be the first to pick you up and tell you ‘hey great run’. We’re family first and foremost and that’s why I push so much when it comes to recruiting because this team gives more than it takes.

 

The Ohio Valley Women’s Collegiate All-Star Team placed 6th out of 12 teams. They won 2 games and lost 3.

 

OWU lacrosse gains new coach for the 2019 season

Updated Feb. 1, 2019 and Feb. 28, 2019

By Erin Ross

Staff Reporter

emross@owu.edu

Ohio Wesleyan University announced the promotion of the assistant women’s lacrosse coach on Monday.

OWU athletics director Doug Zipp was faced with finding a new coach for the women’s lacrosse team after Coach Chelsea Conley resigned from her position on January 3. Zipp explained the reasoning behind Conley’s resignation.

“The decision to step away is for family and personal reasons along with a great opportunity to pursue an exciting new career opportunity outside of athletics,” Zipp said.

On Monday, January 21 Zipp announced the promotion of Assistant Coach Patricia Ryan (’16) to interim head coach for the 2019 season. Ryan is an OWU women’s lacrosse alumna who is serving her second season as a coach for the women’s lacrosse team. Her commitment to the team and passion for the sport played a role in her promotion.

“The reason she was promoted is she has demonstrated leadership, initiative and passion for the program and for our student-athletes and that will go a long way and will push our program forward for this season,” Zipp said.

Despite being saddened by the loss of their head coach, members of the OWU women’s lacrosse team wished Conley the best and have remained optimistic about the upcoming season.

Junior midfielder Sloane Baumgartner said, “The team has taken the change very well and has a positive outlook on the season. We all had some insight that Coach Conley was going to leave. Therefore, having Coach Ryan step in was the best thing to advance the program.”

Ryan herself is eager to lead the team this season and looks forward to being able to try out new practice drills.

“I think implementing some new things and critiquing and working on the old will be exciting,” Ryan said.

Despite limited time to fill the position, Zipp is also happy about the decision to promote Ryan.

“We are excited that Patricia has agreed to take on this role just a few weeks before the start of the season,” Zipp said. “She has already embraced the role, has had team meetings with the players and is continuing to prepare for the season as well as finishing the recruiting for the Fall class of 2019.”

Ryan’s experience as both a student and a coach at OWU has encouraged optimism and fostered enthusiasm among the athletes.

Sophomore goalie Rachel Albers said, “I am looking forward to the energy that Patricia will provide for the team. She is super dedicated to the game and I look forward to learning from her experience as a former player and an OWU alumna.”

Baumgartner, 3-year member of the women’s lacrosse team, agreed with Albers.

“The team is very excited to have Patricia Ryan step into the head coaching role because she understands what it takes to be a student athlete,” Baumgartner said. “Being an alumna, she knows how to push us on the field and in the classroom at Ohio Wesleyan.”

Ryan also recognizes the chemistry that she has with her athletes and the ways in which her alumni status plays a positive role in such chemistry.

“I think it is easy for me to connect to them being that I’ve been in their place not too long ago,” Ryan said. “I like to think I really understand the importance of being a Division III athlete and all that comes with being a student athlete.”

Ryan also deems herself fortunate and is grateful for the help she has received from the athletics department.

“I think that there is a lot of knowledge in the department, so I will be looking to other coaches a lot for help,” Ryan said.

At the end of the 2019 season Ohio Wesleyan will begin a national search for a new head coach, Zipp said.

“Our women’s lacrosse program has a lot of potential and it is important that we now look nationally for the best person to lead our program into the future,” Zipp said.

Washington marches add to rising political tensions

By Claire Yetzer

Staff Reporter

ceyetzer@owu.edu

Friday, Jan. 18 marked a busy day in the capital as the March For Life and the first ever Indigenous People’s March coincided. Tensions became high between the two when a group of male high school students came up to participants of the Indigenous People’s March and seemingly harassed them.

The altercation was recorded and has become viral around the internet. The students were wearing the famous red hats with “Make America Great Again” and at one point seemed to be chanting “build that wall, build that wall”.

“We noticed the tensions were escalating so we decided to leave before we were caught up in it,” sophomore Alana Guzman said. She and two other students had attended the Indigenous People’s March along with the Women’s March that weekend in Washington D.C.

The main person targeted by the students was Elder Nathan Phillips, a Marines veteran and a former director of the Native Youth Alliance. The march he was participating in was organized to address issues facing the indigenous community like mental health, police brutality and violence against women.

The young men were identified as students of a private Catholic school in Kentucky.  

The incident has now turned into a ‘he said she said’ scenario with both parties telling news outlets differing stories that paint them as without blame.

Hope Lopez, an attendee of the Indigenous People’s March, said that the March for Life participants were approaching the space reserved for the Indigenous People’s March. “They definitely were going into their space, I understand that these two protests were going on and they both the right to freedom of speech and express what they believe but they should respect each others’ platforms.”

A full video that has surface has shown a group of Hebrew Israelites and the high school students exchanging remarks. Phillips walked over to intervene in the scenario while playing a prayer song.

Phillips has given a full interview on CNN on Jan. 22 and Nick Sandmann, the student closest to Phillips, had given a full interview on the Today Show on Jan. 23. Both expressed their regrets for not having avoided the confrontation because of the controversy but maintain their part of the interaction to have been innocent.  

Conservatives and liberals have taken opposing stances toward the event, with conservatives condemning the media for rushing to judge and treating the students unfairly.  

President Trump has offered for the Covington High School students to visit the White House once the government has reopened.

Phillips has also offered to come and talk with the students about the importance of respecting other cultures and having a dialogue about racism and cultural appropriation.

Abnormal weather causes class cancellation

Updated Feb. 1, 2019 and March 25, 2019

By Maddie Matos

Editor-in-chief

mrmatos@owu.edu

Low temperatures and intense winds led Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) to cancel classes for Wednesday, Jan. 29.

The weather is expected to be below freezing levels in the early morning, with a high of 0 F. The low is expected to be -3.  With windchill, the temperatures are expected to dip below -40 F.

The temperature is not the only factor for the cancellation, with winds expected to be very intense.

“…The National Weather Service is forecasting Wednesday’s temperatures could dip as low as minus 12 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chill values as low as minus 35 degrees,” President Rock Jones wrote in an email to students.

Cancellations do not happen often at OWU, with the last weather related closure happening in 2008.

“The last time classes were canceled due to the weather was the day before Spring Break, 2008 (just before I arrived), when a blizzard was approaching and the University closed early (I think at noon that Friday) in order for students to get to flights and for Spring break mission trips and athletic trips to be on the road before the weather hit,” Jones said.

Another cancellation occurred due to a power outage in 2011.

Students and staff have been advised to stay indoors as much as possible. The risk of Hypothermia and other issues was another factor for the closure.

“The wind chill conditions Wednesday are predicted to be at levels that would run the risk of frost bite due to exposure for students walking from one end of the residential campus to the heart of the academic campus,” Jones said. “While it is very rare that we close due to weather, these conditions make closure prudent and necessary.”

Students agree that closing school was the right decision as well, for their safety.

“The majority of students walk to class and the weather conditions, especially with the wind chill, could be dangerous to students,” junior Lauren Mangold said.

Classes will resume Thursday with shuttles running for students to get to class safely.

Study pills or addiction pills?

By John Bonus

Transcript Correspondent

jrbonus@owu.edu

More than half of college students with an ADHD drug prescription reported being asked to sell their medication to peers and friends, according to research done by the Society for the Study of Addiction. Another study at New York University found that 29 percent of 7,300 surveyed believed ADHD medications helped improve their grades, despite not being diagnosed with ADHD.

Ohio Wesleyan University is no different than any other college in that there are some students who use prescription drugs like Adderall to help them get their work done.

Across college campuses in the United States these drugs are increasingly being used by students who are not prescribed the medication, because of its reputation for helping them focus on work or studying.

One OWU student, who wishes not to be named, said he sometimes uses Adderall when he needs to cram for an exam or paper.

“It’s kind of hard to explain how it feels, but it keeps you awake and like laser-focused so all you can really think about is the work in front of you. It not like it makes you any smarter.”

Attention hyperactivity deficit disorder, more commonly known as ADHD, is a condition that makes it difficult for those affected to stay focused. Drugs that are commonly prescribed for this condition include Adderall, Vyvanse and Ritalin. They are a a Schedule II controlled substance that fall under the class of amphetamines and stimulants, and are designed to help those with ADHD remain attentive.

Dr. Kira Bailey is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at OWU who teaches classes such as Neuroscience and Psychopharmacology. She said drugs like Adderall work by increasing the release of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, particularly dopamine and norepinephrine.

“Dopamine is typically associated with things like reward, and norepinephrine helps increase arousal and attention,” Bailey said. “That’s why the general effects of an amphetamine like Adderall is an increase of general activation in the brain and body, so the person might feel like they’re better able to concentrate or pay attention.”

A survey by the Michigan Daily in Ann Arbor found that of the 1,300 respondents, 25 percent had used stimulants such as Adderall for schoolwork or to take an exam. However, only 8.95 percent of those respondents said they were prescribed Adderall by a physician or psychiatrist. Many of the others got the Adderall by buying it from another student.

One former OWU student said he used to sell much of his excess Adderall, which he had a lot of. He wished to remain anonymous.

“The one year I was selling I probably sold to around 60 kids, and 20 of those were regulars,” he said. “When it got close to finals I started getting random texts from people I hadn’t even met asking if they could buy.”

According to the same source, the street price for Adderall usually ranges anywhere from $3 to $10 a pill depending on strength.

There are many students with a prescription who feel uncomfortable with the idea of sharing their medication. Jakob Woodside, a junior at OWU who has been taking Adderall since he was 6-years-old, said he refuses to sell his pills to anyone.

“I honestly try to not tell people I have Adderall, because I know that there is a good chance they will ask to buy some,” Woodside said. “When I came to college my mom told me to hide my pills because she knew that kids would want it.”

According to Bailey, the side effects from these drugs are similar between people who use with a prescription and those who use without. However, they are much more prevalent and dramatic for those who do not have a prescription. Some of these effects include anxiety, sleeping problems, shortness of breath and in extreme cases even psychosis.

Addiction is not usually a risk at the levels that doctors prescribe this medication for their patients. But Bailey said that this risk increases for people who take their friend’s pills.

Bailey said she thinks the growing prevalence of drugs like Adderall on college campuses stems from a combination of its availability as well as increased pressure for students.

“Everybody feels like they need to be doing more and at the end of the day you only have so much time,” Bailey said. “So how do you do more with the time you have? Adderall probably looks like a really good option for some people.”

Transcript welcomes new staff for the spring 2019 semester

The Transcript is pleased to announce its new staff for the spring semester of 2019.

Maddie Matos: Editor-in-chief, mrmatos@owu.edu

Kit Weber: Photo editor, kmweber@owu.edu

Jesse Sailer: Online design editor, jvsailer@owu.edu

Claire Yetzer: Staff reporter, ceyetzer@owu.edu

Erin Ross: Staff reporter, emross@owu.edu

Spencer Queen: Staff reporter, scqueen@owu.edu

Meg Edwards: Staff reporter, mmedwards@owu.edu

Azmeh Talha: Staff reporter, aatalha@owu.edu 

 

We hope to serve the Ohio Wesleyan University community to the best of its ability.

The Transcript, I thank you

Upon returning to Ohio Wesleyan for my junior year in the fall of 2017, I had no plans of writing for The Transcript, let alone join their staff. Being a journalism major, I knew I had to do it at some point, I just didn’t think that semester was the right time.

I was taking the notoriously difficult Data and Ethics class with Paul Kostyu, associate professor of journalism and department chair. That class alone, now knowing from experience, can increase a student’s stress level beyond normalcy.

Only two students were in that class: myself and Aleksei Pavloff, the sports editor for The Transcript at the time. From the first class, Aleksei pushed me to join the Transcript. He continued to do the same in every class after that.

I’m now incredibly grateful that he did.

Fast forward a year and half later, and here I am, writing my last editorial as editor-in-chief of The Transcript.

It’s clear to anyone who knows or has read our issues and pieces over the past year that The Transcript wasn’t always perfect. Not by a long shot. I was constantly emailed/notified about the problems in the issues, as well as spoken to about them in person. There were even instances where I had the paper shoved in my face, with the person citing a very specific inaccuracy.

Yet although this was frustrating at points, it didn’t mean these problems that arose weren’t backed up with validation. Just ask Kostyu, and he’ll show you his edits (which I’m sure he keeps) of each issue after it was published, each page marked to the brim in black ink. Thinking on it now, he did leave less white space.

Kostyu wasn’t alone in his criticisms. Ingles also edited each issue, and although there was less ink when she edited (and in purple), she made sure to point out the biggest problems. Even TC Brown, instructor in journalism, joined in on critiquing here and there.

While that may not sound like the most joyous experience, it had many positives. The presence and dedication of these mentors, whether through outside guidance or critiques, has proven both beneficial and necessary, as without it the staff, and paper, would have gone into a tailspin.

The challenges of having such a small staff have been apparent over the last year and a half. Recruiting was certainly hard when I first started as editor, especially when there wasn’t much interest. The number of stories assigned to one person sometimes seemed to much for their own sanity. Designing was a strenuous process, but necessary.

Regardless, we as a publication have certainly come so far. This semester, we experienced The Transcript evolve into a fully-digital publication, with our designed issues being sent out solely in PDF format to our subscribers via email. We saw a complete re-branding of the website, including a new theme. We added new features never used in previous versions of the site. We increased our social media following, as well as participation. The deadlines to turn in a story were changed from a week to three days maximum, although great encouragement was put on turning it in that same day. Because of this, we post stories daily, providing a more consistent form of news. We now design our e-editions once a month, instead of bi-weekly. Most recently, we saw our highest viewed story on the website to date, as evident by Jesse Sailer’s piece “Ohio Wesleyan’s ‘invisible problem,’” (3,000 reads and counting). We truly, I believe, have set up The Transcript for a positive future.

Throughout my tenure, I’ve come to realize that nothing could have been possible without you, the reader. It’s your feedback, whether positive or negative, that has kept us going, particularly over this year. The sense of pride felt when one of you picked up the paper or viewed one of our stories online was, and still is, incomparable. As I stated before, I know we weren’t perfect, but we do, and always have, appreciate your continued support. I encourage you to keep giving feedback/suggestions/whatnot, because sometimes the best ideas may come from the people on the outside.

The Transcript has become part of my routine over the past year and a half, so much that it has become normal. There have been moments that I will cherish forever, and situations that will no doubt benefit myself and the rest of the staff going forward. For example, tips from my predecessor, Gopika Nair, have been engraved in mind for years to come.

It truly is hard to believe my term as editor-in-chief is coming to an end. Throughout the ups and downs, working for The Transcript has been one of the most incredible experiences I’ve had, working with many fantastic people along the way while improving my skills as a journalist.

I wish the new editor-in-chief and editorial staff the best as they continue to keep the Transcript heart beating. Whoever that may be, I have full confidence that they will do an amazing job, and positively make their mark on the Transcript’s long history.

That being said, it has been an absolute honor to serve as editor-in-chief of The Transcript for the past year, and I thank everyone who has joined me on this thrilling ride.

The Central Ohio Symphony’s 40th Anniversary

The Central Ohio Symphony performed in Gray Chapel in front of a packed house for their holiday concert. Under Music Director Jaime Morales-Matos, the symphony brought seasonal spirit as they played “Welcome Home”, “Nutcracker”, “Christmas Festival” and many more. The symphony is currently in their 40th Anniversary season, and will perform next during the new year, in March and April.