Flu-like symptoms spreading throughout campus

By Reilly Wright, Managing Editor

Influenza and influenza-like illnesses are storming campus this semester with several cases now confirmed, the Ohio Wesleyan University Student Health Center reported.

Marsha Tilden, director of student health services, says the OWU Student Health Center staff has seen 30 students with influenza or an influenza-like illness as of Monday morning.

“The majority of students that we are seeing for illness have influenza,” Tilden said. “We have seen a few students with a stomach flu and upper respiratory infections.”

Symptoms for flu-like illnesses include body aches, fever, coughing and sore throat. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports symptoms for the common cold are more gradual and moderate compared to the flu’s abrupt onset that can last up to two weeks.

“[I feel] like a gross, sniffly, drippy-nosed child,” said Larisa Keating, a junior whose flu-like symptoms began Sunday.

According to the CDC, current nationwide hospitalization rates for the flu are some of the highest in years with numbers still rising.

“The worst semester that I can recall was during the [2009] H1N1 outbreak,” Tilden said. “This semester ranks high with the number of students we have seen.”

Known as a complex and difficult illness to predict, multiple influenza viruses are currently widespread including influenza B and influenza A H1N1 and H3N2. This season, influenza A H3N2 is fiercely dominating.

The Delaware General Health District notes 96 percent of flu-related patients in Delaware county have influenza A while influenza B and unknown types compose the following 4 percent. This H3N2 strain typically leads to higher flu activity because it more severely affects the elderly and the young while naturally mutating, causing flu vaccines to be less effective.

Although researchers in Canada had reported this season’s flu vaccine to be around 10 to 20 percent effective against the widespread H3N2 strain, there is no confirmed vaccine effectiveness report for the U.S.. Despite this, CDC officials continue to recommend the vaccine for anyone over 6 months old to combat other flu viruses and reduce symptom severity.

The Ohio Department of Health reports over 8,600 influenza-related hospitalizations statewide since Oct. 1, 2017 with 97 of those coming from parts of Delaware County according to the Delaware General Health District.

Tilden says the OWU Student Health Center has received no word of student hospitalizations or deaths this flu season.

On average, flu seasons last between 11 to 20 weeks, beginning as early as October and peaking between December and March. This leaves several predicted weeks ahead with increased flu activity.

“No classroom seems to ever have kleenex so if you’re going to class, stock up,” Keating said. “Avoid other sick people because you probably have the immune system of a child at this moment and become a couch potato for the next few days.”

Students with flu symptoms are recommended to contact the Student Health Center at (740) 368-3160 or visit their office in Stuyvesant Hall between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. By appointment, flu vaccinations are still offered for both students and employees. The Delaware General Health District at 3 W. Winter St., also offers vaccinations and health tips.

To avoid getting the virus, the Student Health Center recommends getting the flu shot, thoroughly washing your hands, covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing and sanitize commonly used surfaces. If you feel ill, they recommend simply staying home until you are fever free for 24 hours without using medication.

The CDC recommends taking antiviral drugs as soon as possible for those becoming severely ill or highly vulnerable to its symptoms.

 

 

Jenner shocks public with baby announcement

By Maddie Matos, A&E Editor

Part of the world was shocked, while others felt they knew it all along.

Kylie Jenner had her baby.

The announcement came on Saturday afternoon, with a tweet of a video, and following up with a second tweet with an image explaining why Jenner hid the pregnancy.

The video documented Jenner’s pregnancy journey, with footage of doctor appointments and the baby shower. The video also had clips of different friends and family members telling the baby many positive encouragements about themselves and their mother.

The video also announced that the baby is a girl, with rapper Travis Scott being the father. The name was not revealed, only the birthdate and gender.

The second tweet from Jenner explained the reasoning for keeping her pregnancy private.

“I knew for myself I needed to prepare for this role of a lifetime in the most positive, stress free, and healthy way I knew how,” Jenner said.

The decision to hide the pregnancy from the world was met with an outcry of support from many people. Millions of people tweeted the news and offered their congratulations and respect for the new mother.

There were people who did not respect the decision, leaving negative comments about the pregnancy, saying it is a poor decision for someone so young to have a child, or that she should have shared this with the world.

I find that Jenner did what any young mother would want. She kept her pregnancy to herself and allowed everyone in her life to enjoy the experience with her. Pregnancy is a personal and powerful experience, one that is also individualized for people as well. Every pregnant woman has the right to handle it how she wants, and Jenner is entitled to that treatment.

By keeping herself out of the spotlight, she gained the respect of mothers everywhere, who want to shield their children from the world for as long as possible, and to enjoy this time in their lives. This baby has every right to lead a private life with its parents until they decide what is best for the child. No one should impose on that or even question that right.

The birth of this child has brought to life the privacy and humanity that celebrities have, and it is something I respect and admire Jenner for.

 

 

Thanks, ‘T-script’

By Gopika Nair, Editor-in-Chief 

On New Year’s Day, I was back home in Dubai, writing my first editorial as the editor-in-chief after serving as copy editor of The Transcript for two years.

I wrote and revised four drafts—I was elated, I was nervous and more than anything, I was unsettled by my own inadequacies and what I considered my overall ineptitude at being at the helm of this newspaper.

Being a part of The Transcript hasn’t been the most smooth-sailing experience.

On several occasions, OWU students I barely knew but had fleeting interactions with told me that The Transcript was littered with inaccuracies or embarrassing typos when they learned I was part of the staff.

Of course, their points were valid. A cursory glance at Paul Kostyu’s critiques of The Transcript’s print editions will tell you as much (and perhaps give you even more ammo).

The Transcript has certainly fallen short on many occasions. Single-source stories, inane typos, bland headlines, lackluster writing, erroneous facts; you name it, we’ve, certainly and disappointingly, got it.

As much as I and the rest of the staff have at some point or another felt personally beaten down by the criticisms and complaints we’ve received, I’m thankful for this experience.

The Transcript has dedicated mentors such as Kostyu, associate professor of journalism; Jo Ingles, The Transcript’s media adviser and TC Brown, instructor in journalism, all of whom take the time to provide guidance when we need it and criticisms when we deserve it.

Sure, The Transcript has prided itself on being an independent, student-run newspaper since 1867, but without the encouragement and criticisms we’ve received from our mentors, this paper would have undoubtedly floundered.

For the past year and a half, I’ve spent every other Tuesday night and much of Wednesday morning with my fellow editors, writing stories, designing pages and grappling for subject-verb headlines.

Sounds tedious, maybe even downright miserable, but being a part of The Transcript has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my college career, if only because it gave me the opportunity to hone my skills and work with several dedicated and talented people who I learned from along the way.

It was an honor to serve as editor-in-chief of The Transcript, particularly as it celebrated its 150th anniversary this year. I wish the incoming editor-in-chief and editorial staff the best as they prepare to maintain The Transcript’s legacy.

Professor of comparative literature honors grandfather

By Kienan O’Doherty, A&E Editor 

Kicked out of Russia, thrown on a train to China are just two of the many events in the life of George Sokolsky Sr..

As part of Ohio Wesleyan University’s Commemoration of the 100 year anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, Anne Sokolsky,  chair of the department of comparative literature, discussed her grandfather and his travels through China as well as his experience in print journalism. She also discussed how each chapter of his life was by force, and not by choice.

George wrote a column titled “These Days,” which was syndicated in more than 300 U.S. newspapers. But he wasn’t the most popular man among NYC intellectuals who tended to be socialists. He supported controversial politician Joe McCarthy, and was the only journalist who did at the time. His friends called him a genius, but his enemies preferred to call him the “Jewish Rasputin of China” because his relentless foe of communism.

Anne Sokolsky said she understood why he supported such a controversial politician.

“My grandfather, who worked as a journalist witnessed first hand the Bolshevik take over of Russia and then the rise of Communism in China, by the time my grandfather returned to the U.S. (He had to return. Someone tried to kill him),  he was convinced of two things. 1) Communism was awful. 2) Americans were too naïve about it,” Sokolsky said. “My grandfather felt that the Americans in the U.S. who believed in Communism were “armchair” Communists who had no understanding of Stalin’s real motives.”

George Sr. started his career as a journalism student at Columbia University in New York, in which later he got thrown out. He also was a ghostwriter for Herbert Hoover (who also spoke at OWU).

His granddaughter, Anne, is now writing a book about him and his exploits.

“The working title of the manuscript is “They Called Him Sok: A Granddaughter’s Search for Her Grandfather Journalist George E. Sokolsky Through Archives, Memorabilia, and Family Lore.” At this point, I envision the book to be a biography of my grandfather told through the third person,” Sokolosky said. “The introduction and epilogue will be told through my voice (first person) and I will begin each chapter with a vignette in which I write in my voice in a semi poetic-creative style about an object of my grandfather’s that ties in with the point of each chapter.”

Additionally, George was also involved in Sino-Japanese relations from the late 1910s to 1931, Sokolsky said. He worked for Sun Yat-sen and knew Chiang Kai-shek.

“As a child, my dad remembers playing chess with Madame Chiang,” Sokolsky said. “The big question seems to be whose side was my grandfather working for? Was he a Chinese sympathizer, Japanese sympathizer, or both? Different scholars have different opinions on this matter. I am trying to figure this out a bit more.”

Game shows ugly side of football

By Kienan O’Doherty, A&E Editor 

Targeting in football is a penalty given to someone who hits a defenseless player above the shoulders. But after last night’s game, it is more than just a yellow flag thrown on the field.

Monday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals, longtime conference and division rivals, battled to a 23-20 Steelers win. And while the score is important, it’s what happened during the game that caught people’s attention.

Now, the Steelers-Bengals rivalry spans decades. It always is a hard fought, very physical game. But this time around, it turned one of the National Football League’s most underrated rivalries into a war decided by who would get the biggest headshot. In an article written by Sean Wagner-McGough on cbssports.com, he said this isn’t what football is about.

“What matters is that a Steelers-Bengals game once again devolved into the kind of game that shouldn’t exist in today’s NFL,” Wagner-McGough wrote. “It was the kind of game that made loving football difficult.”

With the Steelers mounting a comeback in the fourth quarter, receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster hit Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict with a head shot that technically served as a block. While Burfict is usually the one that delivers dirty and controversial hits, on Monday night, he was the victim of a hit so dirty, it won’t be considered controversial. It was a hit that knocked Burfict out of the game

To make matters worse, Smith-Schuster was only flagged, but not ejected.

But the game went on. The drive continued and it ended with a Steelers touchdown, when Brown came down with a six-yard catch that tied the game. But it wasn’t a normal touchdown. Not just because of the catch that Brown made, but also because of the hit he suffered as he came down with the football when Bengals safety George Iloka hit Brown—a defenseless receiver—hard and high.

Sporting News writer Vinnie Iyer believes that the NFL has cracked down on these instances, but the Steelers and Bengals are two teams that haven’t adjusted well.

“At a time when the NFL needs to reduce dirty hits and headhunting for the sake of its perceived sputtering, harder-to-watch product, those teams continue to stand in defiance, which created an even worse look in one of the league’s prime-time television showcases,” Iyer wrote.

Safety should be the highest priority in any sport, and when the most physical American sport has this much bad-blood and teams try to handle it this way, this raises concern for both fans and future players alike.

CAFA introduces new financial incentive

By Gopika Nair, Editor-in-Chief 

The Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid (CAFA) proposed a new financial incentive, intended to attract bright students to Ohio Wesleyan by providing more substantial scholarships.

The initiative, undertaken by the Enrollment Office, is a “response to the small class sizes in recent years,” according to the memo sent Laurel Anderson, chair of CAFA, to faculty.

Human Capital, a firm that specializes in aid modeling, has been commissioned to analyze and provide feedback to maximize OWU’s tuition revenue. Human Capital’s findings were shared with CAFA and the memo reported that OWU is “currently attracting and yielding relatively large numbers of students in the combined category of highest need and weakest academic skills.”

In the memo, CAFA proposed a New Aid Policy, which will award students with a 3.4 high school GPA (or higher) and an ACT score of 23 (or higher) a $30,000 annual scholarship. The scholarship is renewable as long as students maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher while at OWU. Those who are not eligible for the $30,000 scholarship will receive a $20,000 scholarship.

“The new financial aid policy provides a larger scholarship to a larger number of qualified students,” said Amy Downing, alumni professor of zoology and one of the faculty directors of the Honors Program. “The top scholarship amount for next year of $30,000 is actually an increase over the top scholarship from last year, so we are hopeful the financial incentive will continue to attract very bright students to OWU.”

Though the memo indicates that students with a GPA of 3.4 or higher are eligible for the $30,000 scholarships, Downing said the criteria for admission into the Honors Program will remain unchanged. High school students need a GPA of 3.5 or higher and an ACT score of 28 or an SAT score of 1250 or higher is required for the Honors Program.

Additionally, the former top three highest level scholarships—Schubert, Branch Rickey and Godman—have been collapsed into one $30,000 scholarship, which means that not all recipients of the Branch Rickey Scholarship will be considered honors students, President Rock Jones said.

Downing also said at the end of this academic year, the Honors Center will no longer have a home in Stewart Annex.

“Stewart Annex will be renovated to become the new home for the entrepreneurship program,” Downing said. “The Honors Program is actively working with the administration to identify other potential spaces for the Honors Program beginning in the 2018-2019 academic year.”

Amy McClure, professor of education and another faculty director of the Honors Program, said, “In regards to the displacement of the Honors Center, we are disappointed.”

McClure said she hopes the administration will support the Honors Program’s search for a new space that will provide honors students “a quiet space for studying along with other spaces for collaborative learning and honors classes.”

 

Music professor performs with “Queen of Soul”

By Kienan O’Doherty, A&E Editor 

When the opportunity to perform with a music legend comes along, it’s difficult to pass up.

Such was the case with Ohio Wesleyan professor and trumpeter Larry Griffin, who had the opportunity to perform with singer Aretha Franklin at the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s annual New York Fall Gala last month.

The gala came at an opportune time because Griffin had seen Aretha perform earlier in the fall.

“This year, in June, I had tickets to hear Aretha perform in Chicago, but she cancelled because she was ill,” Griffin said, “So I was able to see her in September, as well as go backstage and do a little meet-and-greet, which was fantastic.”

Franklin had also mentioned to Griffin that Chicago would be her last performance. But musician Elton John convinced her to come back and perform once more.

“Aretha said she would do one more, but she wanted it in a small setting, and wanted all the musicians that she wanted to have,” Griffin said. “She wanted to handpick them.”

Griffin’s close friend, Marshall Seele, got the contract and called Griffin, asking if he wanted to do it, and with some persuading by his wife, packed his bags to New York.

“I was very happy to receive the call,” Griffin said.

Griffin’s track record reveals he has the skills to perform at an event of this magnitude. He has performed all over the world, featuring three European solo tours and two Chinese solo tours, as well as in 42 states and Australia.

What amazed Griffin the most was how many celebrities were in attendance.

“Sting was there, Bill Clinton was there as well and he spoke,” Griffin said. “He’s super laid-back. The room was just filled with celebrities that were in support of Aretha and the foundation.”

The foundation held the gala at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, and it raised more than $4.4 million to support HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, supporting services, and advocacy programs across the United States, the Americas and the Caribbean.

Griffin said he would play for Franklin again in a heartbeat, and that she certainly has earned the respect of the music community.

“She did her thing, and she loves to perform. Everybody certainly knew the Queen was there,” Griffin said. “But you have to respect her and what she has accomplished in her career, and how many people she has touched, she truly is the Queen of Soul.”

Financial deficit imminent for 2018-19 academic year

By Reilly Wright, Photo Editor 

Current financial projections for the 2018-19 Ohio Wesleyan school year predict a deficit of $3 million that will cause expenses to be decreased or revenue to be increased.

From 2016-17 and 2017-18, OWU’s Board of Trustees approved endowment draws of more than $3 million to balance the projected budgets, but they expect the estimated $6.5 million total drawn to be paid back.

The fiscal 2018-19 does not anticipate an endowment draw. Thus, the current budget for the coming year currently forecasts a deficit of approximately $3 million. Lauri Strimkovsky, the vice president for finance and administration and treasurer, leads the budget projection and said balanced budget comes to either increasing the revenue or reducing expenses.

“Vice President Strimkovsky is leading us in a review of various options available to increase revenue and reduce expenses in order to achieve a balanced budget,” President Rock Jones said. “This will be an ongoing process over the coming weeks and months.”

Strimkovsky’s assessments show an expected focus on expenses including outsourced services and high-spending areas, including investigating health care for potential savings. Compensation-related elements such as salary and benefits will be examined while non-compensation expenditures such as major contracts and spending patterns will be reviewed.

Strimkovsky said this process of expenditure evaluations will involve large investigations as well as collaboration across OWU in coming months. While income items will be reviewed, such as accuracy in financial aid projections and growth in summer school enrollment, so will outcome items with housekeeping, Anthem Blue Cross and food services.

“This will not be a painless process as budgets at the individual department level will have to be reduced,” Strimkovsky said.

Strimkovsky said this budget process is in the beginning stages and a projected deficit so early is not unusual, but this large of a gap should be addressed now.

“Good stewardship and a commitment to financial sustainability dictate that we have a balanced budget; no institution can sustain deficit budgets over the long term,” Strimkovsky said.

The largest area for compensation is health insurance with an Insurance Committee currently looking into various plans that still provide good service with lower costs. The OWU health plan is self-funded up to $110,000 with no effort to develop a profit with the process.

Strimkovsky said Ohio Wesleyan’s budget is often observed by other institutions, banks and the U.S. Department of Education as a measure for financial health. Donors, students and parents use a balanced budget to determine their decisions in contributing to OWU.

 “Our goal will be to implement reductions, while maintaining the high quality education and student life that is expected by our students and their families,” Strimkovsky said. “Again, this won’t be easy, but I am certain that, through collaboration, we can develop a realistic balanced budget.”

Vice president of enrollment leaves OWU

By Gopika Nair, Editor-in-Chief 

Susan Dileno, vice president of enrollment, has left Ohio Wesleyan to “pursue other opportunities,” according to an email by President Rock Jones.

In an email sent to OWU faculty and staff on Nov. 30, Jones announced the transition in Enrollment. Dileno joined OWU more than three years ago and has initiated several new efforts in Enrollment, according to Jones’ email.

The Offices of Admission and Financial Aid staff are continuing to work toward yielding a strong class in the fall of 2018, Jones said in an interview.

Applications for admission have increased more than 9 percent in the past year and international student applications have increased by more than 47 percent.

“The energy and commitment among the admission staff is very high, and I am confident that the transition in enrollment leadership will not detract from this year’s admission results,” Jones said.

The percentage increases evident across recent applications can be attributed to the efforts of the admissions staff, support of faculty and staff across campus, and the new majors and programs that have been implemented at OWU as part of 2,020 by 2020 initiative, Jones said.

“The goal for the fall of 2018 is to enroll 543 new students, including 475 first-year domestic students, 35 international students and 29 transfer students,” Jones said.

The search for Dileno’s replacement will begin immediately. Until a permanent replacement is appointment, Dwayne Todd, vice president for student engagement and success, will oversee enrollment.

“During his tenure at Columbus College of Art and Design, Dwayne filled a similar interim role for nine months, and his interim leadership in enrollment was referenced prominently and with deep appreciation by references during the search that led to his appointment as VP for Student Engagement and Success,” Jones said in his email.

Todd said most of the work in “encouraging applications” was completed during this semester and that he will shift his attention to making admission decisions and persuading prospective students to commit to OWU.

“My focus during this interim period of leadership is on supporting the Enrollment team, providing some fresh eyes on our yield efforts, establishing stronger connections between efforts to both recruit and retain students, and of course, meeting our goals for our incoming class,” Todd said.

Jones added that he anticipates a new vice president for enrollment will be appointed by late spring or early summer in 2018.

A search on Glassdoor, a website that announces job openings, revealed that an opening for a new vice president for enrollment has not been posted when last checked on Dec. 5.

Following Jones’ announcement about Dileno’s departure from OWU, several faculty members requested a special meeting in December to discuss the state of Admissions, said Tom Wolber, associate professor of modern foreign languages.

The meeting is scheduled for Monday at noon, Jones said.

Anderson, chair of the Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid and Lauri Strimkovksy, vice president for finance and administration and treasurer did not respond to requests for interviews.

Note: This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

WCSA 2018-19 leaders elected

By Spencer Pauley, Copy Editor 

After a close election race, Ohio Wesleyan will have its first black female student body president: Cara Harris.

Harris and vice president-elect Peyton Hardesty said they are ready to start the next semester with more emphasis on student involvement.

“We really want to allow students to vote on the weekly specials for Ham-Will,” Harris said.

The reason for this being that dining service is a primary concern for students at OWU. By allowing students to have more say on the food they’re being offered, it may help improve the student satisfaction with dining services.

Harris and Hardesty said they want to see more sustainability with efforts to make OWU more environmentally-friendly. Harris said she thinks one good way to do that is by taking a few days per week to only use green containers at Ham-Will.

“I think only 10 percent of the containers that we have purchased through WCSA are in rotation, and those are really low numbers,” Harris said. “So I think that if people are forced to use them, then they could see how easy it is to turn them in and get their points back.”

The exact number of days in which the green containers would be the only option are possibly two to three a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Besides Ham-Will dining changes being considered, Hardesty said they want to see less trash being created through the cafe options.

According to Hardesty, the average college student gets two to four coffee drinks a day, and most of the time, they’re throwing the material away afterward. One problem that is getting in the way of allowing students to use reusable coffee mugs is the Chartwells staff itself.

“I’ve had multiple encounters with Chartwells employees where they’re saying that it’s a health concern for using our own mugs because it might be dirty,” Hardesty said.

So the solution Hardesty said they are considering is either better communication with dining services next semester to allow students to use reusable mugs or encourage the university to invest in reusable coffee cups, similar to the green containers in Ham-Will.

Harris and Hardesty are preparing to change how WCSA meetings are run as well. Instead of having one legislative day per month, Harris is proposing having two legislative days a month and another two days for reports and brainstorming for the whole senate.

“I feel like you don’t get to know everybody in full senate, you only get to know your committee members because you are the ones meeting weekly and biweekly,” Harris said.

Additionally, Hardesty said they believe that new members of WCSA might not understand the language used in the meetings so the messages are not received by everyone.

To fix this problem, Hardesty wants to dedicate time to educate members on the language being used.

“I feel that if we can incorporate learning how to do something internally like learn how to draft a bill for 10 minutes, then now there’s no more excuses for offering ideas,” Harris said.

By allowing time dedicated to learning how to effectively be a part of WCSA, Harris and Hardesty said they hope to see more members bring their ideas to meetings for discussions. With Harris and Hardesty winning the election, expect to see more student involvement to be considered.

Note: The print and digital version of this article used incorrect pronouns for Peyton Hardesty. This version of the article has been updated to correct the mistake.Â