Students, faculty learn from experience abroad

Every year, Ohio Wesleyan students embark with professors to explore and experience the world.
During spring break, travel-study programs dazzle students with sights, sounds and events.

OWU students meet with Irish Prime Minster Edna Kenny during a politics and government department travel learning course.

While students may never forget their time in Costa Rica or Ireland, they are not as lucky as the professors who lead the trips.
For Dr. Edward Burtt, Dr. Sean Kay and Dr. David Johnson, it’s a blessing to get the opportunity to travel almost every year.

Dr. Edward “Jed” Burtt
Burtt has taught many biology and zoology classes since joining the Ohio Wesleyan faculty in 1976. He taught his first travel-learning course in 1980, leading a group of students to Ecuador and the Galapagos.
Burtt said he finds every travel-learning experience special.
“I love introducing students to new ideas, new experiences, new knowledge,” Burtt said. “Such introductions are so central to a travel learning course that it makes such a course very special.”
He said he is thrilled to see Costa Rica’s lush, tropical environment again.
“The chance to spend time in the field in the tropics is magical,” he said.
“ You cannot imagine how wonderful the birds, mammals, reptiles, and on and on are … Did I say the birds are wonderful? They are.”

Dr. David Johnson
Johnson, a professor from OWU’s botany-microbiology department said while he has not been to some of this year’s research locations in Costa Rica, he has been to many countries to study tropical plants.
Johnson said he is looking forward to guiding students during the trip.
“Part of the fun with group is getting to see a place
through other peoples’ eyes. I’m always excited, because I know the students are in for an amazing experience.”
Johnson said he is always nervous before a journey. This might be due to his experience with the unexpected while abroad.
His “craziest” experiences include jumping out a second-story museum window in Malaysia and being trapped in a cab to Jakarta, Indonesia with his narcoleptic taxi driver.

Dr. Sean Kay
Kay, a professor in OWU’spolitics and government department, has been visiting Ireland since 1987.
He guides students through the country and allows them access to senior journalists and Ireland’s foreign minister.
Students also get to meet with average Irish people and hear their stories.
Not all of his trips abroad have been easy—in 2005, Kay and his daughter got caught up in the London train attacks. Kay saw the horror of the July bombings firsthand when a train in front of them exploded.
Still, Kay said he bonded
with strangers that day, united by tragedy.
Kay believes travel is an important part of understanding one’s part in the world.
“The best part is we learn more about ourselves, seen through the eyes of those outside our nation,” Kay said.

Andrea Gibson kicks off Women’s Week Poet returns to OWU to perform pieces about sexuality and gender identity

Courtesy of Faux Pas Productions
Mixing words, performance, music and style, slam poet Andrea Gibson speaks intimately with her audience about issues of gender, identity, bullying, social justice and love.
On Monday night Gibson delivered her second performance ever at Ohio Wesleyan – in Phillips Auditorium.
She is the first winner of the Women’s World Poetry Slam and has had her work aired on TV networks such as BBC, Air America and C-SPAN.
Gibson was brought to Ohio Wesleyan by the House of Peace and Justice, the Women’s House and the LGBTIQ Resource Center.
Sophomore Sophie Crispin, who lives at P&J, and junior Alex Crump, who lives in WoHo, introduced Gibson.
Gibson began her performance with openness about her stage fright.
“12 years of doing this and my stomach is still in butterflies, wow,” she said.
Her pieces were delivered with instrumental music in background to her voice.
The first poem she performed came from a difficult time in Gibson’s life, which she said was written “on one of my hardest days of my life.”
She spoke about being in the hospital and said, “I wasn’t being an ally to my body.”
The poem dealt with her identity and not being accepted for being gay.
“They said you are not allowed to love her,” Gibson recited. “This is my body … Say, this is my body, it is no one’s but mine.”
Gender identity was one of the common themes surrounding Gibson’s work.
She shared a quote with the audience: “Gender is the poetry each of us makes with the language we’ve been given.”
Her work spoke about the process of finding comfort with her body and identity, and in her second poem, Gibson said she “searched the home in my own skin.”
Gibson also talked about bullying and its deep implications.
“I’ve been talking to my friends lately about bullying … we carry those things for our whole lives,” she said. Gibson said she was often teased because of the way she dressed. It was “like a little man,” she said.
She shared her poem titled, “A Letter to the Playground Bully from Andrea Age Eight and a Half.”
“If I ever have my own team, I am picking everyone first,” she said. “Can’t you say, ‘Hey I’m having a bad day instead of calling me ‘stupid.’”
Gibson also shared a poem titled, “I Do” about the desire to be able to marry the woman she loves but not being able to do so because it is illegal.
“But the fuckers say we can’t,” she said. “The patriarchy can fuck itself.”
The poem focused on the deep love one woman has for another. “For fifty years you were my favorite poem … I swear my breath turned silver the day your hair did,” she said.
Gibson talked about wanting the right to see her lover in a hospital bed if she were to die, to be considered family and have the right to say goodbye.
She also shared a heavy poem about a soldier who’d been set on fire and burned for being gay.
It was a story she said she’d never forget.
Gibson said there were other stories like his. When she ended, the audience fell silent, and Gibson thanked them for not clapping.
Gibson talked about her writing process and how she is careful about gendering her poems.
“I’ve tried not to gender any of my poems,” she said. She said she does not want to support any “binaries.”
Although one of her poems was critiqued for being “too gendered” she decided to share it with the audience. It talked about rape and the abuse of women’s bodies.
“I’m asking what you’ll teach your son,” she said.
Gibson was impressed by the respect the OWU audience showed.
She said, “You guys are awesome … I don’t think I’ve ever read that poem and not had people clap.”
Sophomore Hazel Barrera said she was impressed with the balance and message of the Gibson’s performance.
“She was amazing,” Barrera said.
“The things I like the most about her are the way she balanced the whole show, the way she kept the audience entertained and engaged with her wonderful words and the way she talked about gender and life through her personal experience.”
Senior DeLaine Mayer, a member of P&J, said she shared the same feelings. As a student of political science, Mayer said she is aware of “the power of the spoken word.”
“I’d never seen her before and I thought she was really inspiring,” Mayer said.
Sophomore Karena Briggs thought Gibson’s performance was “emotional and intense.”
She was impressed by the way Gibson “talk(ed) about her truths so openly.”

Goalie saves game

With a mix of good offense and even greater defense the Bishops doubled St. John Fisher’s score, 10-5 on March 7 at Selby Stadium.
“Our goalie played a phenomenal game,” said sophomore midfielder Spencer Schnell.

hio Wesleyan senior Jesse Lawrence faces off with St. John Fisher Cardinal Ryan Freije at Selby Stadium. OWU beat St. John Fisher 10-5 on March 7.

Ohio Wesleyan’s goalie, Ryan McMahon, denied the St. John Fisher’s Cardinal’s repeated scoring attempts with a season high of 21 saves.
The Cardinals repeatedly navigated past OWU’s defenders and shot, but McMahon, OWU’s goalie and last line of defense, consistently prevented the Cardinals from scoring.
OWU’s defensemen put so much pressure on Cardinals’ senior Mike Byrnes in the third period that he tripped over himself twice (without any outside contact) while cradling the ball.
In the first period, freshman Tommy Minkler and Schnell started the scoring with two goals in first 30 seconds.
“We really focus on coming out hot and making a statement,” Schnell said. “In practice we start right off the bat with upbeat drills and competition. I think that helps a lot with getting on the board early.”
At halftime, the Bishops led the Cardinals 10-1, with the Cardinals scoring elusive goals in the later half.
In one goal in the fourth period, a Cardinal attacker went stick to stick with McMahon, eventually faking him towards the bottom left of the goal, then he quickly tipped the ball in over McMahon’s head.
“This game showed that we are good team this year and have the ability to beat good opponents,” Schnell said. “Hopefully this and other quality wins this season will lead to some more national recognition.”

Sound Off OWU: Where is your favorite place to eat off campus?

New home for Chelley Belly’s, same great sandwiches

Chelley Belly’s Soup and Sandwich, once located on Winter Street, has recently moved onto S. Sandusky.
Owner Michelle Runyon said the move was due to the new location being “(A) nicer space, bigger space, and more visible.”
Runyon said the restaurant’s business seems to have gotten better with the move.
“We’ve been seeing new faces,” she said. “I just hope that they keep coming back. We have noticed an increase, it’s just a matter of if it keeps going that way.”
Junior Liza Blakeslee has been working at Chelley Belly’s since last May and also agrees with Runyon’s idea of better business.
“(The move has) given us a lot more business, I think,” said Blakeslee. “She (Runyon) has to look at the final statistics to see if we actually have benefitted.”
Runyon also said that she does see a lot of OWU students, but the number has been going down this past year.
“I see a lot Ohio Wesleyan kids, especially when their parents are in town and they’ll bring them here,” said Runyon. “It could be part of the economy, but I have noticed a decline in the number of students. I don’t think it’s the location that’s done that though. We have been seeing more family business people, people who work in town than we have in previous years.”
Blakeslee said the move of the restaurant didn’t have much effect on her working there, except for a month or so where.“I didn’t end up working much because we were preparing for the move.”
She also said the best part of working at Chelley’s is the free food.
“Usually, if we work a longer shift or work half a day then we can get a meal there for free,” Blakeslee said.
Blakeslee said if a customer was unsure on what to get when ordering at Chelley’s, she would recommend ‘The Smokey.’
“That’s our most popular sandwich,” she said. “It’s a turkey, bacon and cheddar cheese sandwich. If you are a vegetarian, I would say the Roma Tomato Mozzarella.”
Sophomore Katalyn Kuivila, who visits the restaurant from time to time, said she has her own personal favorite.
“(I like) the ‘White Italian’ and I also really like their desserts. They have really good sugar cookies,” she said.
Runyon said there’s something special about the baked goods at Chelley Belly’s.
“We have a lot of baked goods,” Runyon said. “Everything is made here, in house, on the premises. We bake the breads fresh here, too.”
The soups at the establishment are also made on site, including their best seller, the tomato bisque.
Kuivila said she has been there since the move, and though there are some advantages, there are a few drawbacks.
“I’ve been (there) a couple times and it’s okay,” she said. “They have a bit more space but it’s also a little bit further away… I think in this new location they should put more seating in; they have the room for it.”
Kuivila also said, depending on the time of day a customer goes to Chelley Belly’s, the wait can be kind of long. Sandwiches are made to order, and this can sometimes cause a hold up in the line.
Chelley Belly’s prices tend to be below 10 dollars for a meal and they are open Monday-Friday 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and on Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Visit them at Facebook.com/ChelleyMyBelly.

SHO pushes for more participation in Denison Day

As with any good sports rivalry, fans are a big part of the action. Spirit and Homecoming Organization is chartering buses to Denison, giving away t-shirts and serving breakfast for fans to support the men’s lacrosse teams as it takes on the Denison Big Red.
Any OWU student can register for Denison Day. Sophomore Sarah Hartzheim, a SHO member working on Denison Day, said that even though the game is away, SHO wants OWU students to attend.
“We’re trying to keep up the tradition of making the lacrosse game between Denison and OWU a really fun event,” she said. “It’s an away game this year, but we have the resources to allow a lot of OWU students to attend.”
The cost of attending this event is $10.
“SHO has been very successful with its fundraising efforts throughout the past year,” said junior Clare Whitaker, the president of SHO, “and thanks to WCSA and the administration, we have the budget to cover the cost of this event beyond the $10.00 cover fee.”
Junior Colin Short, a member of the men’s lacrosse team, said he is pleased to know the team will have so many fans cheering them on at the game.
“Especially at Denison because it is such an intense rivalry,” he said. “I feel like the school knows how important this game is, and it’s good to know that they support us.”
As the lacrosse season progresses, especially during conference play, the team’s record will show how successful OWU is. The team is currently very optimistic, and Denison is one of the most important games of the season.
“The winner of (the Denison) game this year will undoubtedly take home the conference title,” said junior Pat Basset, one of the captains of the team.
SHO is working to make the event well-known on campus.
“SHO is providing sign ups both in HamWil and online, so that the event is easily accessible,” Hartzheim said. “This is one of the biggest spirit events at the school and we hope everyone will attend.”
SHO has only provided transportation to a sporting event for men’s lacrosse recently; however, many other varsity teams are supportive of this event, too.
Sophomore Jon Stegner, a member of the men’s soccer team, said he is “glad to see school spirit and students supporting the athletic department.”
In 2010, SHO was able to send more than 80 students to the game, which was over Easter weekend. They are hoping more students will attend this year since the game is not during the holiday weekend.
“I would love for as many students as possible to attend Denison Day,” Whitaker said. “This is a tremendous opportunity for the student body to enjoy the historic rivalry.”
“With a breakfast, a t-shirt, and transportation to one of the biggest sports rivalries of all time….who would say no? Grab your roommates, friends, sorority sisters, fraternity brothers and any one you find to come join us on the adventure. We hope to see you there.”
Denison Day is March 31 with buses leaving at 10 a.m. from HamWil. They are expected to return by 3 p.m.

Rebirth of student radio station hindered by technical problems

Due to a lack of technical support and student involvement, WSLN 98.7 FM, Ohio Wesleyan’s student radio station has not been able to broadcast and will remain down until technical repairs can be made.
WSLN serves Delaware, providing an outlet for student expression in the media, while providing entertainment in the form of quality programming and contests to the campus and the community.
In the past, the station had around 30 students directly involved and had active followings on and off campus. The station also had several shows such as “Good Morning OWU,” “The Flipside,” “The Vowelsounds,” “Fizz Radio” and “Daywalker at Night,” in addition to offering a variety of music.
Sophomores Will Conway and Sam Sonnega have taken charge this year as the station’s manager and assistant manager respectively, and have been putting in a lot of time and effort with the help of David Soliday from the IT department.
Conway said that it has been difficult to get the station running again because of the absence of people who understand how to fix the technology necessary to run a radio station.
“It has really been a struggle for me to get the station up and running,” Conway said.
“When I finally had the time to fix the station, the technician wasn’t sure how to install the program onto the computer for web casting. I have only recently gotten in touch with David Soliday from the IT department who helped a bit, but he still wasn’t able to fix it. Last year I almost had a spot with Andrew WK (we were going to do an over the phone interview with him) but it fell through because the station broke down.”
“I think that the school needs to have people who know the system and format of the radio station inside and out,” Conway said. “I know how to use equipment that functions properly and how to instruct people in running a show but I am not a repairman. I’m not Tim Allen from ‘Home Improvement,’ I’m Will Conway, a 20-year-old man who studies classics.”
Soliday agreed that the lack of understanding about how the station runs is interfering in getting the station up and running.
“The biggest difficulty in getting the station back up is a lack of knowledge transfer,” Soliday said.

“The current station managers were given very minimal instructions on how to produce a show, none on how to run the station. So when the computer crashed they weren’t prepared to rebuild everything from the ground up.”
Soliday said while he wants to help set the station up, it will take time to learn how to use the software, called SHOUTCast, and that has been delayed by other, higher priority projects.
He also explained that it is a struggle to get the new technology to work with the old equipment.
“There’s the question of getting the ancient studio equipment to work with a newer computer with web streaming software,” Soliday said. “The cables aren’t even the same size. So our aim now is to get the server working so DJ’s can plug in their iPods or laptops and a laptop microphone.”
Soliday said that he was disappointed that the station was down last semester because he was hoping to have his own show on the station.
“It was only recently that I learned of the depth and details of the challenge.” Soliday said. “Now I can understand, sympathize, and help out.”
In terms of generating awareness and promoting the station, Conway said that much better measures need to be taken to promote the station than have been used in the past.
“What I need to do is to set up a team of people who would want to work on promoting the station and setting up different events that would make people want to listen,” Conway said. “I would love to have interviews with bands that are in the immediate area, which are touring and making their way through Columbus.”
Sonnega said that he wants to have the station on air as soon as possible and hopes to have a variety of shows running.
“I am going to work as hard as possible to get the station on air within the next month,” Sonnega said. “I would like to see a regular school news/sports show as well as a greater involvement with campus activities (especially music), but priority one is getting the place working and cleaned up.”

Greek of the Week: Cate Bailey Delta Gamma

Junior Cate Bailey of Delta Gamma is this week’s Greek of the Week. She may love to wear lax pinnies and dance in music videos, but she also has a passion for her sorority’s philanthropy. Bailey recently organized DG’s Anchor Splash, a philanthropy event benefiting Service for Sight. This year the Greek community and other campus organizations participated in the week-long event to raise over $1600 for Service for Sight. Bailey can also be seen sporting her school pride for the Student Homecoming Organization, and dominating the field in OWU’s Women’s Lacrosse.

Former head football coach Fouts loved the game and the players

Former Ohio Wesleyan University Head Football Coach, Jack Fouts died Thursday, March 1, at the age of 86.
Fouts graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in the class of 1948.
While attending OWU, he played football, basketball and baseball for the Bishops.
After OWU, he went on to earn his master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin.
He served from 1964-1983 as Ohio Wesleyan’s football coach and brought the team great success.
His teams were most successful from 1967-1971, during which the football team went 33-12-1.
The Bishops earned a pair of Ohio Athletic Conference crowns during the first and last of those aforementioned seasons. The team also finished second in 1968.
Fouts earned the title of Coach of the Year in 1967, NCAA College Division for District Two.
He led the Bishops to their third consecutive undefeated season.
In the fall of 1968, Fouts’ team record was 8-1, which later turned into 13 following wins.
In 1971, Fouts took the Bishops all the way to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl in Phoenix City, Ala., the Western Regional championships game of the NCAA College Division.
During 1972 he coached the West squad in the first All-Ohio Shrine Bowl game.
In 1985 Fouts was inducted into the Ohio Wesleyan Athletics Hall of Fame.
Director of Athletics Roger Ingles said his career at OWU overlapped with Fouts for three months.
“In that time I got to know one of the greatest football coaches of all time,” he said.
“He was a hard driven, dedicated man, who loved Ohio Wesleyan and his players.”
Ingles said Fouts’ passion for the success of his players in all facets of their life was unmatched.
“His former players loved and admired him for making them become men of principles and good faith,” said Ingles.
Ingles said Fouts came back for a team reunion in the early 2000’s and even then, Fouts’ passion for Ohio Wesleyan and the love his players had for him was amazing.
Tom Mulligan, Hiram College’s athletic director, said that there have been a small handful of people who have truly impacted his life.
“Jack Fouts is one of them,” he said.
“He was the reason I chose to attend Ohio Wesleyan University.”
Mulligan said Fouts impressed him as a coach who cared about his players as people and a coach who truly knew the game of football.
“He was instrumental in helping me maintain a pursuit of a college diploma,” he said.
“I graduated from Ohio Wesleyan largely due to Jack Fouts.”
Mulligan said after graduating from OWU, he chose to pursue a career in college coaching and administration.
“To this day, I remember the life lessons that Jack taught me as a young man at OWU,” he said.
“For that I am ever grateful.”