Critical Incident Response Team has campus prepared for disaster

By Jenna Rodcay
Transcript Reporter

Though Ohio Wesleyan did not experience severe effects from Hurricane Sandy, the Critical Incident Response Team (CIRT) met to make preparations in case of the worst.

According to the introduction of the CIRP, the plan “provides a framework to guide coverage, response and notification procedures for any crisis our campus may encounter.

“The plan addresses topics such as: types and levels of critical incidents, composition and responsibilities of the (CIRP), recommended responses to various critical incidents, notification and reporting procedures (and) evacuation and relocation procedures.”

It also outlines the types of critical incidents that may occur, including fire, bomb threats, biological hazards, severe weather and medical emergencies.

According to Craig Ullom, vice president for student affairs, the CIRP gives thought to how the university would come together and respond if an incident occurs.

The CIRT has 12 primary members, and 14 additional members.

“(These members) are called depending on the nature of the critical incident,” Ullom said.

These members include OWU offices and personnel, such as Rock Jones, Public Safety, Residential Life, the Chaplain’s Office, Counseling Services, the Student Health Center and Buildings and Grounds and organizations in Delaware, such as the Delaware Fire and Police Departments and the Delaware County Emergency Management Team (EMA).

Bob Wood, director of Public Safety, said there is a strong working relationship between the university and the Delaware community, which is what will help make the plan useful in the case that a real tragedy should strike.

“We know resources, we know who to call,” Wood said. “We all work together.”

The CIRP was developed in 2006 when Wood came to OWU.

Wood created his first CIRP nearly 25 years before he came to OWU, while working at the Ohio State University, and played a large role in the creation of the CIRP.

He said the dean at the time left the development of the CIRP to Public Safety and Residential Life.

So Wood and Wendy Piper, assistant dean of Student Affairs and director of Residential Life, were the early developers and co-authors of the plan.

“We looked at a number of plans and developed our (CIRP) based on the models we found,” Wood said.

Wood said the CIRP has been changed and modified over the years but the main purpose of the plan is bringing together members of the CIRT to address incidents.

“Things happen so fast that we don’t always have time to convene,” Wood said. “So we talk on the phone and (delegate) people to where they need to go.”

Wood said it is important to note the plan doesn’t give the option to flip to a page and read exactly what to do.

Rather, it provides an exampl, and the protocol should be adjusted to the situation at hand.

He said one of the more serious concerns in this area is severe weather storms, especially in the winter.

Aside from the safety hazards they cause, storms have the ability to knock out the power and restrict travel—leaving students without heat and unable to leave or receive emergency help.

Ullom said the power poses several problems; such as how to get into buildings without swipe access and how to maintain fire safety without alarms.

The campus has five emergency generators located in the R..W. Corns Builiding, the Hamilton Williams Campus Center, the Powerhouse, the Schimmel/Conrades Science Center and Smith Hall.

The university is also high on the priority list for power restoration, behind Grady Memorial Hospital, the Delaware police and fire departments and local nursing homes.
Ullom said after each incident the CIRT meets to debrief and decide if the response to the incident was appropriate.

The CIRT then uses these past incidents as starting points when incidents occur in the future and to help educate the campus about how to react in the future.

“The little things are easy to forget,” he said.

An example of the CIRT coming together to respond to an incident is the fire that occurred in the Delta Tau Delta (Delt) house last month.

Team members came from Residential Life, Greek Life, the Delaware Fire Department, the fraternity housing corporation and Buildings and Grounds to make sure that everything was being handled properly.

The groups worked to make sure students were safe and able to be relocated.

According to Ullom, Residential Life, the Delaware Fire Department, and the members of Delta Taut Delta and Sigma Chi, are creating a fire safety awareness brochure to help students stay aware and cautious.

The campus offers several other ways for students to stay prepared for crises, such as the Rape Aggressive Defense program (RAD), Active Shooter Training and the Staying on the Right Side of the Law program, which is mandatory for incoming freshman.

“(The CIRT) works towards the best option in things (they) wish (they) never have to deal with,” Ullom said.

Swing states still play important role in election

President Rock Jones, who attended the election night watch party, takes a look at the map the students have been updating.
By Ellin Youse
Transcript Reporter

Whether it was Michelle Obama’s voice interrupting a Pandora Internet Radio station to talk about her husband, or Paul Ryan promoting his running mate on Twitter, students had no option in following this year’s presidential election.

With the campaigns hitting social media, when President Barack Obama won a second term as president last Tuesday night, Ohio Wesleyan students, like junior Jacob Beach, had a lot to say about it.

“I was ecstatic when I heard the news Mr. Obama was re-elected as president, but being in a battleground state, I can speak for many when I say, I am glad the election is over,” Beach said.

“Not because of the outcome, but because those political ads will finally stop appearing on the T.V., radio and before every YouTube video I watch.”

Battleground states were especially important this election, as the presidential race was continually close throughout the election season.

The New York Times predicted a 49.8 percent chance Ohio, a battleground stae with 18 Electoral College votes, would decide the election on Nov. 6, greater than any other state’s potential to influence the election.

The Times’ prediction held true after CNN announced Tuesday at midnight Obama would remain president, only moments after reporting Ohio turned blue.

This marked the second time Ohio’s Electoral College votes had gone blue for Obama.

Ohio wasn’t the only state that might have changed the tide of the election. Mixed rumors were coming in about which way Florida, a notorious battleground state, would go.
Even after Obama had earned the required 270 Electoral College votes to win the presidency for a second term, Florida was still counting votes to determine which way it would swing.

In the end, Florida went blue for Obama, as it did in the 2008 presidential election.

By the time California’s 55 Electoral College votes went to Obama, it was official that he had been re-elected.

Obama won both the popular and electoral vote, raking in 313 Electoral College votes and 50.8 percent of the popular vote.

Romney received 225 Electoral votes, and 48.3 percent of the popular vote.

After the announcement of Obama’s re-election, cheers and boos alike reverberated through the various hallways of OWU’s dormitories as students celebrated or mourned the fate of their favored candidate.

“For election day I had two computer monitors on different electoral maps and CBS blaring on my T.V. screen,” Beach said.

“I told myself I wasn’t going to watch it because I was so nervous, but I did anyways and did not regret it.

“Once Ohio went blue I heard all sorts of cheers and car horns from outside my window.

“I stayed up way too late watching the speech afterwards, both Romney’s and Obama’s.

“I must say though, as something that happens once every four years and has a large impact on my life, it was worth going to class a little tired the next day.”

Senior Carly Hallal said although she didn’t have much of a great feeling for either candidate in the election, she was relieved when Obama was reelected.

“I didn’t like Romney’s foreign policies or women’s rights policies either, (and), quite frankly, they were almost scary,” Hallal said.

“What I think is more important, though, is for America to try to become less polarized.

“Part of the complaint with Obama was that he did not do anything the past four years — well I’m sure it’s hard to get a lot done when the other party is constantly opposing you.

“I can’t stress enough how much I disagree with bipartisan politics and how much we need to do away with this to move forward.”

Hallal and Beach were two of nine students selected to drive in President Obama’s motorcade from Rickenbacker airport to the Nationwide Arena in downtown Columbus for President Obama’s last campaign rally with Bruce Springsteen and Jay Z.

The students each drove a van filled with Obama staffers, campaign coordinators and photographers in the motorcade.

“We had the entire highway closed off to us and were driving 80 plus mph to get to the Nationwide Arena where the president was to give a speech and Bruce and Jay Z were performing,” Hallal said.

“Once we got there, Obama was rushed to a press line.”

Students mark which states have gone to Romney or Obama with red and blue as the results come in on election night in Benes A on Nov. 6.
Hallal said she was suprised at Obama’s demeanor.

“We got to meet him shortly after and take a picture with him,” she said.

“He was so genuinely nice and relaxed.

“I have no idea how he would be able to be so relaxed considering the fate of the country and lets face it, the world, partially relies on his shoulders and he was about to give a huge speech and the election was happening the next day.”

Unlike Beach and Hallal, sophomore Karli Sturgil said she was “really anxious” when Obama was re-elected.

Sturgil said while she is greatly concerned with the economy under Obama, she is staying positive about the future of America over the next four years.

“I was pretty freaked out and stressed when I heard Obama was re-elected,” Strugil said. “But at the end of the day, I’m an American first.

“While I worry about some of the people I know back home being affected by Obama’s healthcare and economic plans, I’ve been comfortable in my life this past four years and I’m pretty confident that will continue.”

In his concession speech election night, Mitt Romney thanked supporters like Sturgil while wishing the best for Obama.

“Like so many of you, Paul and I have left everything on the field,” Romney said.

“We have given our all to this campaign. I so wish — I so wish that I had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead the country in a different direction.

But the nation chose another leader. And so Ann and I join with you to earnestly pray for him and for this great nation,” he said.

Harvard professor connects disease, diet and the food pyramid

By Carly Shields
Transcript Correspondent

The health and diet of American citizens and the progress, or lack thereof, made so far was the topic of discussion last week.

Walter Willett, the chair of the department of nutrition at Harvard Medical School, spoke on Tuesday, Nov. 6, on the issues of the food pyramid and the connection between food consumption and disease.

“Nutritionists agree that the food pyramid from the 1970’s was really off,” Willett said. “We need oils and fats. Eating fish and nuts is better than eating red meat.”
Christopher Fink, assistant professor of physical education and director of the Sagan National Colloquium, also agreed that the 1970’s food pyramid had good intentions but was wrong in its message.

“I agree with Dr. Willett entirely on the food pyramid,” Fink said.

“I think it intended to do good things, but that it was misguided and resulted in some confusion relative to healthy eating behaviors, because of the emphasis on carbohydrates and the lack of specificity about what kinds of carbohydrates were most nutrient dense.”

Willett said that the food pyramid from the 1970’s is one of the causes to the unbalanced and unhealthy diet in Americans.

The 70’s food pyramid tells us large amounts of carbohydrates are good and small portions of oils and fats are bad, but Willett said this is not true.
“The 2005 food pyramid is useless as well,” he said.

“It doesn’t tell you what to avoid and the 2010 new food plate diagram is not much better.

“It says you need a glass of milk at every meal but really water is the beverage of choice.”

Fink said he agrees with Willett that the intent of the 2010 food plate has made improvement but is still not accurate on what to eat.

“Still, it lacks specificity about the various kinds of grains and protein foods that are most nutrient dense and associated with lower risk of chronic disease, and I think it’s still too friendly to specific lobbies, such as the dairy industry,” Fink said.

Willett said he has done research on different diseases such as breast cancer, heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

He said he has tested to see if there is any correlation between animal fat and breast cancer mortality.

“We look at how diet affects heart disease or cancer over time,” Willett said.

“Most cancers have already started growing before they were even tested for.”

Willett said he discovered higher rates of fat and weight gain after age 18 leads to high rates of breast cancer in women.

He said this has to do with estrogen levels as well.

“You want to maintain your body weight and try and keep your weight as close to as what you weighed at age 18,” Willett said.

“Women in Asia actually decrease in weight after they turn 18, making their risk for breast cancer decrease even more.”

Willett discussed how everything became fat-free in the 90’s because there was a scare that fat was the cause for many diseases and cancers.
Women and men were eating fat-free everything.

Willett did a research project on trans fat and what it does to the body. Trans fat is correlated to coronary disease.

Willett said he discovered a correlation between men with coronary heart disease and Omega 3.

He said he discovered there is a decrease in deaths of men who have high rates of Omega 3.

Willett said in modern food productions, the food industry hydrogenates Omega 3’s to be able to sit on shelves for a long time.

But by hydrogenating the Omega 3’s out of the food, Willet said the nutrition in the food is also diminished.

“Nuts are high in Omega 3 and people who consume nuts most days of the week have a 30 percent less chance of coronary heart disease,” Willett said.

Willett discussed the common idea that fruits and vegetables will help keep all diseases away, but said this is not true.

“There is no correlation between increase of produce and decrease in cancer,” Willett said.

“However there has been a 30 percent decrease in cardiovascular disease with produce intake.

“So keep eating your fruit and vegetables.”

Willett discussed the rapid increase of obesity in America.

He said high levels of glycemic loads increases Type 2 diabetes.

Willett said doctors were telling women to increase their glycemic loads before they understood the correlation between high levels of glycemic intake and Type 2 Diabetes.
High levels of glycemic intake are even worse if a person is overweight or obese.

Willett also discussed the connection between milk and prostate cancer. He said there is evidence that milk is related to the cause of prostate cancer.
He also said there is no evidence that milk supports bones.

“We really don’t need that much milk and we really don’t need that much calcium either,” Willett said.

However the higher levels of Vitamin D the lower risk of colon cancer.

Willett said the lifestyle for lowering the risk of heart disease is the same lifestyle for lowering the risk for Type 2 Diabetes.

These low risk factors include not smoking, exercising for at least a half hour every day and having a good, balanced diet, which includes low trans fat, low glycemic load, high cereal fiber, high fish and low alcohol consumption.

Fink said he would like students to understand that there are “good scientists,” like Willett, working to help the public understand health and diet are always evolving.

“I think that Dr. Willett brought the discussion about the mutually transformative relationship with food into the arena of medicine and health,” Fink said.

“Certainly, with all of the focus on health care, medical costs, and the rise in various chronic diseases associated with our diet, we shouldn’t have a series focused on our relationship with food without speaking about the health impact.”

Vandals, no vandalizing!

By Elizabeth Childers
Online Editor

This weekend, an alumnus and I were walking around Stuyvescent Hall. He had not seen the new building since its renovations occurred after his graduation and wanted to see the changes made.

He was pleasantly surprised by the new flooring, fireplaces and lobby settings. And as we entered the courtyard, he happily pointed out how beautiful it was with its new staircase and sitting area. He was also happy to see the new fountain running.

“It was just a big hole in the ground when I was here,” he explained to me and another student.

However, as we got closer, we noticed that one of the three frogs of the fountain was not on the perimeter with its brethren, but instead had decided to take a dip in the water. Or rather, it was involuntarily thrown in.

This is not the only report on vandalism we’ve had on campus, though it is arguably the saddest. This is, for all intents and purposes, a new building. The university spent a lot of money and a lot of man-hours in creating a nicer place to live for the students. This year’s freshmen don’t know the world of exploding heaters, lack of air conditioning and subpar appliances. It is reasonable to say OWU has given the building a new facelift. So isn’t it a blatant insult to the university that students have the audacity to ruin the work that has been done, for no real reason?

Stuy isn’t the only building that’s been victimized. Smith’s residents have wracked up quite a debt, between $35-40, because of bulletin boards being ripped off the walls and other such shows of immature idiocy. And, I don’t know the whole story about this, but Sunday morning I noticed a shutter on one of the fraternity houses hanging haphazardly as it had been ripped from the building’s façade. Even the Delt house is looking more abandoned than ever, since someone broke a window on the basement floor and a plywood board has covered it.

Even personal property is not protected on the streets of OWU. Stories of students having their side-view mirrors damaged and bikes being stolen or molested have been heard through the student grapevine.
Students don’t seem to have much respect for anyone or anything on campus, save their own things. I’m not sure what you’ve been taught, but how much destruction done does not give you a measurement how great the night before was.

I know most of you who are committing these acts of violence won’t be reading this, so I can’t say, “shame on you!” and expect you to hear it. Perhaps some of you don’t even remember doing the things I’ve listed.

So let me just say the amount of vandalism, and with it the astounding lack of respect we see on this university, is unacceptable for “young adults.”

The silo: annoyance, deadly reminder, work of art

By Rachel Vinciguera
Transcript Correspondent

We’ve all seen the silo in the middle of HamWill.

It seems like everyone’s got an opinion about it.

“It’s in the way.”

“That thing gave me splinters!”

“Did you know you can climb inside…?”

Like anyone else, I’ve got my opinions too.

The Silo as Art.

First and foremost, the silo is meant to be a part of a larger art project that you may have noticed pieces of around campus.

We all seem to complain about the silo, but how many of us have taken a chance to read the sign that hangs only a few feet away?

I’ll fill you in.

Abram W. Kaplan, an environmental studies professor from Denison, created this art piece as a reaction to the American food system and how he has come to understand it.

Kaplan was partially inspired by a field trip during which he took his students to a farm and spoke with the farmer about where our food comes from. He came to see food in a different way, and the silo seeks to help us see our food differently, too.

The sign reads, “through art, through communication with one another, through experiential activities, we may arrive at new ways of knowing.”

And that, right there, is the beauty of the silo.

You can say it is in the way.

You can say it has caused some injuries.

And, yes, you can ignore the fact that it is a piece of art by climbing inside.

But you can’t say it hasn’t caused discussion; that it hasn’t created experiences.

The Silo as an Annoyance

The placement of the silo in, debatably, the busiest spot on campus has caused a great deal of discussion among students.

It sits in the center of the atrium, smack dab in the middle of our central gathering spot.

And let me tell you a little secret: I love that it interrupts our daily routine.

I love that people are bothered by it.

That’s my favorite kind of art.

The kind that stops you in your tracks.

The kind that makes you wrinkle your nose and furl your brow like you just got a whiff of skunk.

The kind that pisses you off.

That means it’s doing something! That means you’re thinking!

And doesn’t it also serve Kaplan’s purpose? We eat food every day, it may not be good, it may be Chartwells, but we all eat every single day.

Food itself is a pretty constant and permanent presence in our lives, isn’t it?

Just like the silo.

And I think the placement is perfect.

The Silo as a Relevant Issue

For all of you New York Times readers out there, you will probably remember that a couple of weeks ago an article was published: “Silos Loom as Death Traps on American Farms” by John Broeder.

Broeder wrote about the more than 80 silo-related deaths that have occurred over the past five years: almost entirely young men.

And almost entirely preventable.

He discussed the process of sending boys (as young as 14) to loosen the grain from the inside walls of the silo with a steel rod, and how very often that grain would fall from the sides suddenly and suffocate them underneath.

The safety codes in place for many farms, because they tend to be small family-owned organizations, are not the same as in other workplaces.

Under the assumption that parents will treat their own children better than random employees, many farms are not required by the government to undergo the same safety inspections as other organizations, and this leads to the injury and very often death of these young male employees.

Tommy Osier was 18, when, as he was loosening the grain, it piled down on top of him and suffocated him to death.

Wyatt Whitebread, only 14, was sent into a silo to do the same–not aware that he would suffer the same fate.

And these are just a couple of the many boys who have been killed the same way.

This is something that happens every single year to young boys working on farms around our country, and we never hear about it.

No, the silo is not meant to be a looming symbol of these devastating accidents, but that is what it has become in my mind.

To me, that is the silo’s most significant purpose.

For me, it serves as a reminder of these young lives lost.

And, more than that, it reminds me that there are things happening every day, all over the world, and right in front of me, that I don’t take the time to understand or even be informed about.

Every time I see the silo I am reminded of Tommy and Wyatt. And I am reminded of a problem that has yet to be fixed.

It may not have been Kaplan’s goal when he created the work and honestly, I don’t know how he would feel about my reaction.

But that’s the other great thing about art: everyone sees it differently, and its meaning can change over time as the world around us always changes, too.

It really is all about perception. And I think art is especially exciting when our perceptions can be changed by events going on around us.

OWL provides students an opportunity to write for leisure, fun

By Emily Feldmesser
Transcript Correspondent

College students have enough academic writing to do for class, but some OWU students take time out of their busy lives and write creatively for their own enjoyment.

The OWL, Ohio Wesleyan’s annual literary magazine published in late spring, is where they can publish their poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, literary journalism and art.

The OWL is open to students of all majors and publishes a wide variety of works. “Satisfying pieces of writing and art is the only theme we have,” said senior Anni Liu, one of three co-editors of The OWL.

In the past, the English department funded magazine has also published academic essays by faculty and students, interviews, music and translations. It was read last year at Beehive Books.

According to Liu, the mission of the magazine is to provide a venue for what could be called the literary arts and they “publish current and past students’ writing and seek to promote our burgeoning authors.”

“If it can be reproduced, folded to size and made relatively flat, then submissions might include charts, maps, spreadsheets, prints, drawings, designs, tiles, graphic novels and pop-up books,” Liu said.

“We only publish writing that seems to embody fresh, witty, polished, moving and thoughtful writing.

We usually receive about a hundred submissions each year.”

Junior Ellie Feely, co-editor of The OWL, said it is important to explore other facets of writing.

“It’s important to write without any ulterior motives,” Feely said. “With classes, it’s easy to be confined to certain types of writing, but with creative writing, you’re not confined.”

Senior Chris Marshall, co-editor of The OWL, said it is important to read and write for enjoyment.

“We encourage escaping the required reading so that students can enjoy reading and writing,” Marshall said.

By breaking out of the assigned readings and writing, students are able to find their own voice, said senior Chelsea Zwayer, co-editor of The OWL.

“When reading and writing what others tell you to, it’s easy for outside sources to influence you,” Zwayer said.

“Creative writing gives you more of a personal voice.”

Jillian Maruskin, public services librarian, said that creative writing helps engage students in their classwork and get a different perspective on the writing.

Women’s basketball confident about upcoming season

By Taylor Smith
Transcript Correspondent

The Ohio Wesleyan women’s basketball team is looking to prove coaches and fans wrong as the they plan to upset the season predictions.

The North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) coaches’ poll predicted the Lady Bishops to finish sixth in the conference. Junior wing, Julia Grimsley said she knows the team can finish better.

“We were really young last year and we have matured and grown a lot since last year,” Grimsley said. “Predictions of finishing sixth in the conference doesn’t mean anything to me because it is just a prediction, anything can happen.”

The team is returning all their starters from last year as only one senior, Elyse Wenger, graduated last year. Grimsley said Wenger was very positive and always encouraging others, whether she was on or off the court.

“She was also a really hard worker and never took a rep off,” Grimsley said. “We plan on filling that hole by being loud on the bench and continuing to communicate and encourage each other on the court.”

Senior post Tamra Londot said it is a new year and, as a team, they’re focusing on mental toughness and game mode versus practice mode.

“We have different things that differentiate game mode versus practice,” Londot said.

Sophomore guard Sarah McQuade, an honorable mention all-conference pick for last year’s All-NCAC teams, said the team is looking to improve team communication and team chemistry on and off the court this season.

“This year were going to try and be a more disciplined defensive team and change our attitudes,” McQuade said. “We have been looking to stay positive and encouraging throughout any bumps in the road we may have. The coaches plan to let us loose during games because they will have the trust in us that we will be able to do what needs to be done in order to win.”

Grimsley said the team is continuing to work hard and getting better at the things they struggled with last season.

“We have pretty much the same routine as last year except we are more experienced and more mature from last year,” Grimsley said. “We also have a better understanding of what our intent is as a team, which is to use our opportunities to better ourselves everyday as a basketball player and individual.”

Londot said the freshmen players are fitting in great with the team.

“They really have the will to win and will do anything for the sake of team,” Londot said. “They have been participating in team workouts and leadership since the first week of school so they’ve learned the team dynamics.”

McQuade said all five of the freshmen are looking to contribute right away.

“They are giving us more depth in all positions and have fit in perfectly with our system,” McQuade said. “We all get along with each one of them and each one of them brings a positive attitude everyday to practice.”

Londot said the team to beat right now and always is Denison. She said DePauw and Wittenberg are also tough opponents.

Grimsley said the team plays in a very strong conference and can’t take any other team for granted.

“Our conference is unpredictable in the sense that ‘upsets’ happen all the time,” Grimsely said. “Therefore, we have to watch out for every team in the conference and bring our ‘A’ game every time we step on the court.”

“If one of our teammates struggles to bring their ‘A’ game and they are having an off day, then it is our job as a team and family to step up and help pick them back up.”

The Lady Bishops open their season tomorrow against Baldwin-Wallace College at the Franklin College Tip-Off.

Bishop football defeats Wooster to claim their share of the NCAC Championship – Photo Gallery

Men’s swimming and diving plans to improve and grow as a team

By Tim Alford
Transcript Correspondent

Only a few weeks into the season, the men’s swimming and diving team won their second meet against Urbana over the weekend.

According to junior diver Anthony Peddle and sophomore swimmer Thomas Horsfall, the team has started off the season strong.

Peddle said having a diving coach this season has given him more confidence.

“We are all working through our dive lists strengthening what we already have and moving towards newer dives, as well as increasing our degree of difficulty as we go along,” Peddle said. “We should improve on how we approach competitions. We’re an awesome team, and we can hold our own.”

Horsfall said the team is consistent and is dedicated. He said this is shown by the amount of training that takes place outside of the pool with activities such as running and lifting. Despite this, he said he still thinks there needs to be some improvements with the team.

“What I think the team needs to improve on is communication among the team,” Peddle said. “I feel as a whole, the team can split itself into smaller cliques of people and that causes some separation from different parts of the team. But the season is young and I believe as we get deeper into the season, those walls will be broken down.”

Unlike many other sports teams, the swimming and diving teams are scored together. Also, both the men’s and women’s teams practice and travel to meets together. Junior swimmer Jacob Beach said he has never been on a swimming team that definitively separates the guys from the girls.

“This is a defining characteristic of swimming and I think it leads to why swimming is such a close sport,” Beach said. “You are spending so many hours a week with the same people, you have to love each other.”

Peddle agreed with Beach and said the teams work together well.

“Our camaraderie is unlike any other team, in my opinion,” Peddle said. “We have men and women, swimmers and divers, mixed grades. We don’t have starters…we’re all one team and compete as such. I love this team and I’m so lucky to be a part of it.”

Horsfall said while he thinks working alongside the girl’s team and the dive team opens up more possibilities for friendships and building unity, he feels it can divide the team sometimes.

“I hear people disagree with listening to members of the team for that reason,” Horsfall said. “We are a team. Yes, by gender we are different, but we all make up the OWU swim team and that (disagreement) is something that needs to be changed. If we can change that, I think the teams’ unity will be stronger.”

Peddle explained how the scoring for the diving team factors into the team score.

“Diving is an individual scoring event, so each of our dives count towards our personal score,” he said. “(This) will place us first, second, or third, which if you place in the top three, you win points for the swimming and diving team – which determines if we win or lose.”

Peddle said the divers have some goals for this season.

“One goal we all have is to continually improve,” he said. “(Also) beat our scores from our previous meet and learn a new dive, or two, or three a week to increase our degree of difficulty.”

Horsfall said he plans to improve individually but has goals for the team as well.

“For the team, my goals are to win more meets than last season,” he said. “We work hard and I think our new, strong freshman class really gives us an edge on other teams. For myself, the only goals I have are to improve my stroke and to drop time.”

Horsfall said staying consistent in practice will be key to reaching the goals.

“Swimming is a sport where just a few days out of the water is detrimental to what you have been working on all season,” he said. “They say a day out of practice for a swimmer is comparable to three days out for any other athlete.”

The next meet for the team is Nov. 17 and 18 at home for the Corbiere/Merion Invitational. Beach said this meet is a big deal for the team as they swim against several Division II and III teams. At press time, the starting time for the meet was still unannounced.