Rafiki hosts first ever Caribbean Carnival

By Tiffany Moore, Online Editor

tpmoore@owu.edu

Funnel cakes, a steel pan musician, and Samba dancers were some of the many attractions that got over 150 students and staff to come to Ohio Wesleyan’s (OWU) first ever Caribbean Carnival.

Rafiki Wa Africa collaborated with Black Student Union (BSU), and Black Men of the Future (BMF), to host their first Caribbean Carnival on the JAYwalk on Sept. 14.

During an interview, Oshane Tackore, vice president of BMF said, “The food was amazing, the dancers are really good, the music was really good too, I don’t set high expectations but I think it turned out great.” 

Steel pan musician Ken Greene, from Cleveland, Ohio, started off the carnival with some Caribbean beats. Daniela Black, who is originally from Trinidad and current president of Rafiki, shared how the steel pan is the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago and is used in many of the songs during carnival.

Two Samba dancers from Chicago taught attendees a few Samba dances for the remainder of the Carnival. Samba is a Brazilian dance with origins in Africa. Students and faculty were able to follow along with step by step instructions given by the Samba dancers. At the end of the Carnival, students participated in the Trinidadian tradition of J’ouvert by throwing powder paint on one another.

Freshman Grace McDonald won $46.50 from the 50/50 Raffle.

“We definitely drew a crowd of different cultures. I don’t think OWU has ever had an event like this with this type of food. People really enjoyed it,” BSU president Jenelle Collier said.

Students and faculty had a chance to watch and learn about the musical culture in the Caribbean in addition to tasting food and drinks from Trinidad and Jamaica. The menu included curry chicken, jerk chicken, chicken stew with white rice and peas (rice and beans), plantains, mac’n’cheese, beef patties, funnel cakes, ginger beer, and Jarritos.

Freshman Miah Katalenas said that she heard about the Carnival through a friend and was really pleased with the food.

Black says that the purpose of having the Carnival was to expose the OWU community to a slice of Caribbean culture and cuisine.

“Caribbean people on this campus are underrepresented and this is something that has never been done on this campus and it was great to share it with a place many of us call home for four years,” Black said. 

Looking at Objects from Our World Through the Eyes of Alum Stephen Donaldson

By Hailey de la Vara, Transcript Reporter

 

 

The Mowry Alumni Center is now featuring “Blue Light,” an exhibit commemorating Ohio Wesleyan alumnus Stephen Donaldson.  

The installation features photography of landmarks, landscapes and objects, with one common element: a blue light source.  

According to Donaldson, the purpose of the exhibit is to provide the audience with a striking visual experience. The photographs displayed were taken over a 17-year span, in places such as New York, Massachusetts and Italy.

“For this project, five of the twelve images were created using artificial sources of light, and all but one of the rests were created long after sunset, or before sunset, in situations when there was no direct sunlight available,” Donaldson wrote.

After working 13 years in the finance and electronic industries, Donaldson decided to “throw it all away” and pursue his dream to photograph the beauty of the world.  His photographic journey became a vital component of his life and led him to write three books about his newfound passion.

Donaldson currently resides in Great Barrington, Mass., where he photographs weddings and conducts lectures at schools, universities, and professional organizations.

With the exhibit showing until November 15, students are encouraged to come visit the Mowry Alumni Center to view these stunning photographs and have a unique visual experience. Four photos are located on the first floor of the alumni center, and the remaining eight photos cover the walls of the second floor.

To view more of Donaldson’s photography, go to http://www.sgdphoto.com

 

OhWoo Game of Games Begins With A Bang

By Maddie Matos

Arts and Entertainment Editor

mrmatos@owu.edu

A classic Ohio Wesleyan University event was revamped on Sept. 14 as a new way to build community on campus.

Hosted by the Campus Programming Board (CPB) and Residential Life, the first ever OhWoo Game of Games event was a combination of games and an improv show. This event used to be called Stuyin’ Up but has been renamed and moved to the Hamilton-Williams Campus Center Benes Rooms for the night.

Over 30 students and staff members came to the event. Students were provided food and drinks from AVI Foodsystems.

“We [had] a good turnout, with people participating and playing the games, and winning prizes so I think it [went] pretty okay,” junior HannahJo Grimes said.

For the first hour of the event, students were able to win different prizes if they won the game. The Residential Assistant’s (RA) on campus decided on the games and prizes, such as laundry detergent and movies.

The games were in a minute to win it style, giving competitors one minute to complete a challenge. The speed and constant revolving of games was a huge hit.

“Minute to win it games are super fun and people tend to get really into them,” junior Madison Haggerty said.

Both Grimes and Haggerty are on the Resident Life staff. They were accompanied by a small group of other RAs’ on campus as well as members of CPB.

Preparation for the event was slim, with both programs having to work quickly to make it happen.

“This event was thrown together with pretty short notice, we have a new staff that is throwing this event together in just the last couple weeks,” Grimes said. “They usually have a lot more time to plan it, so I think that they have done an amazing job for the short amount of time they had. But everyone wishes they had more time to put it together.”

Both programs collaborated on the event to create more buzz and allow the event to be improved from previous years.

“We joined forces to have more brain power and ideas for the event,” Haggerty said. “Each area tackled several elements, so the work load wasn’t overwhelming for one group.”

The second half of the night focused on the improv performance. Campus Programming Board brought the group MISSION improvABLE to campus. The group uses popular show styles and techniques to engage with the audience.

The event was well received by students, despite small challenges that Residential Life and Campus Programming Board had.

“Even without that extra time, we are still putting on a really great event,” Grimes said.

Social Advocacy Met Sewing At OWU

By Maddie Matos

Arts and Entertainment Editor

mrmatos@owu.edu

Advocacy and art combined and took new form at the most recent installation on campus.

The Social Justice Sewing Academy debuted its gallery inside Beeghly Library at Ohio Wesleyan University on Saturday, Sept. 8.

Open to the Ohio Wesleyan and Delaware communities, the gallery consisted of a presentation and workshop for participants.

The exhibit is part of the university’s 2018-2019 Sagan National Colloquium (SNC). The focus for this year’s SNC programing is how art can impact the world.

The Social Justice Sewing Academy was founded in 2017 by Sara Trail. Trail wanted a creative way for students to portray their ideas about social justice and what it means to them.

The academy teaches children to sew and use those skills to create a block of fabric that will later be incorporated into a quilt. The blocks can be about any issue that the artist cares about.

“It gives youth the forefront in issues,” Trail said in a video message to the audience. Due to a cancelation in her flight, Trail could not make it to the program, which had an audience of over 15 people.

The program started as a post collegiate endeavor, but the idea for it has always been in Trails’ mind.

“My dream is to open a non-profit to teach people to sew,” Trail said.

Social advocacy was a huge factor for Trail when creating the program. She has hosted workshops in underprivileged areas across the United States, such as Chicago and Berkeley. These areas allow Trail to reach out to students to educate them.

“I want to give young people the tools…to understand,” Trail said.

The work the academy has done has been featured across social media and news outlets. Trail herself was already well known in the sewing community for her previous collaborations with Simplicity, a well-known fabric and sewing company. Throughout her career, Trail felt that sewing could do more for people than they realize.

“Sewing is more than a hobby,” Trail said.

The presentation was well received, with over half of the audience staying for the workshop. The experience allowed people to learn new skills and see what an impact their art and voice has in the community.

“Workshops like this make it look possible and doable,”  junior, Miah Gruber, said.

Greer stays hot as Field Hockey defeats Earlham in impressive shootout win

    By Hailey De La Vara, Transcript Reporter

Senior defender Maggie Greer scored her second game winning goal in as many contests to lift Ohio Wesleyan over Earlham College on Wednesday at Selby Stadium.

With the final attempt in a shootout, Greer’s shot bounced off the goalkeeper’s shoulder and found the back of the goal.

“Shootouts are always nerve-wracking, so I was hoping we would be able to clinch it before it got to my turn.” Greer said. “Once I stepped up and the referee blew the whistle, my whole body went numb. I saw the keeper was low and I felt I could lift the shot over, and luckily it worked.”

Earlham and Ohio Wesleyan both competed through the first 70 minutes of regulation play and two overtime periods, scoring a goal apiece.

Earlham took the lead 11 minutes into the game when Sofia Salvatore followed her own shot and scored on a rebound. Quickly after, OWU answered when freshman midfielder Barbara Welling set up Greer for a goal to turn the deficit into a tie.

Sophomore goalkeeper Paige Ross had two of her 8 saves within the last five minutes of regulation to keep the score knotted at one.

With the scored tied after both overtime periods, the game went to a shootout to dictate the winner.

In shootout play, Earlham’s Denise Bergholt and Ohio Wesleyan senior Alexis Roberts each missed their attempts to begin the shootout. Both teams got on the board when Salvatore converted for the Quakers and Welling countered for Ohio Wesleyan.  Bishop freshman defender Astrid Koek converted her attempt to put OWU up 2-1.

On Earlham’s final attempt of the shootout, Maite Turling converted her shot and kept the Quakers alive, but Greer connected with hers to give the Bishops the 3-2 shootout advantage and the victory.

Ohio Wesleyan outshot Earlham 24-19.

“Through the two overtime periods and the shootout, I was left speechless with the way we played,” Ross said. “We demonstrated strength not only physically, but mentally. The team this year is going to do big things, and we are going to prove our initial rank wrong.”

 

Cafe Space Plans Have Been Set

 

 

    By Spencer Pauley, Managing Editor

 

Due to the Stewart Annex being repurposed, the cafe space in Beeghly Library will now be the temporary meeting space for the Honors Program of Ohio Wesleyan.

Planning for the space will be done throughout the fall semester and the renovation will be done during the mid-semester break to minimize disruption. At some point during the spring semester, the space will finally be ready for the Honors Program to use.

The Beeghly Library was chosen for the new Honors Program location mainly because of its 24/7 access for students. Amy McClure, a member of the Honors Board and professor of education, is looking forward to a designated space for the program members.

“We are looking forward to having the space walled off so that it is truly a designated space,” McClure said. “The space will be used for quiet studying, honor society initiations, meetings, small group discussion with speakers who come to campus and other honors-related events and activities.”

Various locations on campus were being considered, but the Beeghly Cafe was chosen in the end. Brian Rellinger, associate provost for academic support, says that with all the changes of services going on at OWU, the staff members of the libraries, Honors Program and others deserve credit for making the transitions seamless.

As for the cafe itself, Rellinger says that there are solutions in place:

“The Bashford Lounge, which is attached to the cafe, will still remain accessible 24/7 to all students and all equipment and services available in the cafe have been shifted to the lounge,” Rellinger said. “New vending machines have also been added to the space for all to use.”

The change to the cafe space is not the only renovation Beeghly Library saw. During summer break, a meditation and reflection space was added to the third floor, the front steps and patio were repaired, a quad of Apple computers were added, and the restrooms received a fresh coat of paint. The library will also have its cooling towers replaced during mid-semester break.

Dividers for the cafe space will be put up in Beeghly Library later this semester.

Coaches Corner: A Q&A with Head Wrestling Coach Paul Reid

By Hailey De La Vara, Transcript Reporter

 

 

 

Paul Reid has been named head coach of the wrestling team at Ohio Wesleyan. Reid will oversee the return of the team, which hasn’t been a varsity sport since 1984.  Reid has experience rebuilding programs: he transitioned Alfred State into a Division III program and completely revamped Iowa Western Community College into winning teams.

Q: Did OWU approach you about the job?

A: No, it was a really unique process. They announced the return of the sport last February and the hiring process took a little longer than expected because of the change of athletic directors.  But they had always been on my radar.

Q: How do you plan on rebuilding the wrestling team after not having it as a varsity sport since 1984?

A: We are starting from the ground up. The key is recruiting, recruiting, recruiting, but also recruiting the right type of kids. This first class we have 15 kids that are all the right type of kids to build a program.

Q: What are the expectations heading into the season?

A: Make it a great experience. Obviously wrestlers are very competitive and the expectation is to grow as a team all while making it a great experience.

Q: How do you think OWU wrestling ranks against other opponents on the schedule?

A: The schools in Ohio are traditionally tough, but the good thing about our schedule is that there is a good cluster of teams that we are going see throughout the year so we are going to be able to measure our progress throughout the year.

Q: Was it just you who went out and recruited?

A: Yep, I went everywhere.  My first day was Nov. 1 last year and by Nov. 2 I was already calling kids, compiling a list and going to tournaments every weekend.  

 

OWU Hires New Vice President for Enrollment and Communications

By Tiffany Moore, Online Editor

tpmoore@owuStef.edu

Ohio Wesleyan University (OWU) looks to continue to bring in more prospective students from diverse backgrounds with its latest hiring.

Stephanie Niles is OWU’s new vice president for enrollment and communication. In this role, Niles will help determine enrollment goals, monitor financial aid policies, and work with the University Communication Team to determine the most effective messages and the communication tools needed to interact with prospective students, parents, college counselors, current students, their parents, alumni and the public.

“Ultimately, my goal in this first year is to learn as much as possible about OWU’s enrollment efforts and work to ensure that we have the necessary people, tools, and strategies in place to achieve our desired enrollment outcomes.” Niles said.

Senior Will Ashburn is president of the Student Executive Admissions Board. Although he does work with Niles daily, he says, “she is really supportive of the student workers. She understands the importance current students have in recruiting prospective students and supports us all accordingly.”

At the end of September, Niles will be the president of the National Association of College Admissions Counseling (NACAC). This is an organization that currently holds around 16,000 in enrollment as well as counseling professional members around the world.

“My role as the NACAC president is a highly visible one, and hopefully will serve to bring more recognition of Ohio Wesleyan to college and independent counselors.” Niles said.

Originally, Niles wanted to be a Broadway star, and she majored in musical theatre at Wagner College in Staten Island, New York. After deciding that it wasn’t the right fit, she transferred to three different schools. At the University of Virginia (UVA), Niles found an interest in the admissions process. She received an internship in the admissions office at UVA, then later obtained her master’s degree in higher education/student affairs.

“I have a great job – I get to help students realize their college choice and introduce them to the pathways that will shape the rest of their lives.” Niles said.  

Niles is passionate about her family and says that after her son finishes his senior year in Pennsylvania and goes off to college, her daughter, husband, two dogs, and cat will join her in Ohio.  

“I love watching my kids discover their joys and passions and help them pursue their dreams.” Niles said.

The Passing of a President

By Jesse Sailer, Sports Editor

The death of Ohio Wesleyan University’s (OWU) 12th president provides an opportunity to look back and acknowledge the adversity faced and dedication required when it comes to shaping a place of higher education such as OWU.

Dr. Thomas E. Wenzlau died Aug. 1 at the age of 91 in Colorado Springs.

Wenzlau served for 15 years as Ohio Wesleyans 12th president from 1969-1984 and was honored in 1985 with an alumni award for his accomplishments as Ohio Wesleyan’s president.

His career at OWU was marked with change and progress and the oversight of campus growth.

Wenzlau saw the creation and completion of the $33.5-million XIVth Decade development program as well as the establishment of the need-based system of grants and funding that allowed students to pay for college and university.

He oversaw campus projects that furnished facilities such as the Chappelear Drama Center, the expansion and remodeling of Sanborn Hall and the construction of the Branch Rickey Arena.

When it came to academics, Wenzlau created the Reach for Quality Program, which aimed to reinforce the university’s tradition of educational quality and its commitment to intellectual achievement.

The Reach for Quality program, and its commitment to academic excellence, caused a disconnect between the Ohio Wesleyan student body and the president. The program resulted in reducing enrollment from its high of 2,500 to 1,800 by the fall of 1985.

Although the student body believed Wenzlau had taken the wrong risk in reducing enrollment, the university claimed its best freshman class in five years with a number of freshmen commitments from the top one-fifth of their high school class climbing 5 percent, and test scores increasing exponentially.

Some such as Edward B. Fiske, a New York Times reporter, seemed to side with the Ohio Wesleyan student body.

“The administration at Ohio Wesleyan says that it is looking for students interested in a wide range of nonacademic options,” Fiske wrote, “but it seems to have collected a student body interested mainly in a good time.”

In an interview with OWU Magazine, Wenzlau shared his thoughts on leading the University through the 1970s, calling the era “a decade of important causes, of students pursuing the rights and recognition of young adults, of the black minority and female majority seeking equality of opportunity and elimination of double standards, of concern for the environment, and of students focusing on careers and employment opportunities.”

Wenzlau was the choice of an Ohio Wesleyan trustee selection committee, assisted by faculty and student representatives after screening more than 150 candidates.

Commenting generally on the appointment of a new president for a small liberal arts school, and specifically on his move to Ohio Wesleyan, Wenzlau said,“A new man coming in is more likely to bring fresh ideas, although it does take some time for him to become acquainted with the functions of the institution,” to “learn what makes it tick.”

Prior to becoming Ohio Wesleyan’s 12th president, Wenzlau taught at Wesleyan University, Kenyon College, and Lawrence University, where he served for a year as associate dean of the faculty before returning to his alma mater.

A 1950 OWU alumnus, Wenzlau received his Bachelor of Arts degree with departmental honors in economics. He was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa and served as president of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

Wenzlau’s success extended into athletics as he lettered in track, basketball and football, captaining the team in 1949 as a pass receiver and kicker.

He set multiple records as kicker including highest punting average in a single game, as well as the season record and career record, earning him an induction into the Battling Bishop Hall of Fame in 1972.

Wenzlau is survived by his daughters, Kathy Wenzlau Comer and Janet Wenzlau Von Kraut and sons, David and Scott Wenzlau.

New York Arts Program Under New Director

By Spencer Pauley, Managing Editor

An Ohio Wesleyan managed program based in New York has new goals set in mind with its new interim director.

The New York Arts Program was led by director Linda Earle for 10 years. But on July 1 of this year, that changed. Earle moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to be a part of the faculty at the Tyler School of Art, which is a part of Temple University.

Emilie Clark is serving as interim director of the New York Arts Program after Earle’s departure. Clark had been teaching at the program for 14 years before she was appointed director. Clark is excited to improve the program after working side by side with Earle.

“I learned a lot from Linda during her time here,” Clark said. “When Linda left, it gave opportunity for me to put things in place that could enhance the program.”

Clark and the rest of the members of the New York Arts Program have set two initiatives: regain continuity with alums and build relationships with faculty members of the Great Lakes College Association (GLCA), which Ohio Wesleyan and many other North Coast Athletic Conference schools are a part of. These initiatives were set after a growing interest in improving a sense of community. Clark said that students in the program rarely got to interact with all the other students outside of their specific program within the New York Arts Program.

To change this, the program has set up more events to create more opportunities for interaction. The initiatives have influenced what these programs are about. For instance, with the goal of regaining continuity with alums, the program has created events that have alums come in and showcase themselves and what they do with their careers.

As for the goal of building relationships within the GLCA, the program has set up events where faculty members that are a part of the GLCA come and give a lecture for program members.

The associate director of the New York Arts Program, Susan Childrey, said that despite a new director, the program’s main goal remains the same.

“The [New York Arts’] goal has always been helping artists come to New York and gain cultural experience,” Childrey said.

Clark can attest with what Childrey said. She believes that the core of this program is healthy and exciting. When students join the program, they change at a real rapid pace during their time there.

“People [gain] experience from living in an urban environment like New York City,” Clark said.

Five students from OWU are attending the New York Arts Program this semester and will be the first group under the direction of Clark.