Freedom of speech brought to light in play

By Gopika Nair, Editor-in-Chief 

With Fahrenheit 451’s production, Ohio Wesleyan’s theatre and dance department brought attention to national issues concerning free speech and censorship.

After five weeks of rehearsals, the production was held on the Main Stage inside Chappelear Drama Center, running from Oct. 5 through Oct. 7. Adapted from Ray Bradbury’s novel of the same name, the play was directed by D. Glen Vanderbilt Jr., professor of theatre.

“I had been considering the play for several years and this year felt like the ‘right’ time to offer it,” Vanderbilt said. “Free thought and free speech are such a part of our national conversation these days, the book (over 50 years old) has some new urgency.”

Bradbury’s novel was published in 1953, but its themes continue to be relevant today.

“Every day, we hear stories of people who have attempted to squelch other people’s thoughts and expressions,” Vanderbilt said. “It happens far too often in our society. We take many of our freedoms for granted and this play about a society where they have given away many of them is a cautionary tale about a possible future.”

In the play, Guy Montag, portrayed by sophomore Josh Martin, lives in a world where books and the ideas it contains are banned. Montag is a fireman whose job is to burn books, with pyrotechnics featured in the production. Throughout the course of the play, Montag’s dissatisfaction with his life increases and he’s consumed by intellectual curiosity.

Martin said he was intrigued by the stage adaptation of Bradbury’s novel and sought out the opportunity to be a part of OWU’s production.

“I am fascinated by the dichotomy of Montag’s inner thoughts; the ever-present battle between autonomy and peace, morality and ignorance,” he said.

The play also ended on a more hopeful note than the one offered in the novel, which delighted many audience members, Martin said.

“I think Bradbury, when he wrote Fahrenheit 451 (and I’m sure today), would hope for people to continue to question their world around them,” he said. “Find ways to challenge the inequities that plague Western culture and never stop protesting the status quo.”

The play also featured senior Kacie Iuvara as Mildred, Montag’s wife. Because Fahrenheit 451 tied her passions for theatre and books, Iuvara said she wanted to become involved with the production.

“As actors, we’re told to look for objectives, what our characters want,” Iuvara said. “Playing Mildred, a character who lives for the next high and buries herself in distractions to avoid coping with reality, was difficult because she often didn’t have an obvious objective. Figuring out what Mildred wanted out of her life was definitely challenging, but also a lot of fun.”

The play cautioned audience members about the dangers of erasing knowledge and rewriting facts, Iuvara said.

“This play reminds audience members about the extreme importance of creativity, individuality, truth, and above all, thought.”

 

Gillespie Honors House dedicated during homecoming week

By Reilly Wright, Photo Editor 

The Gillespie Honors House, Ohio Wesleyan’s newest $2 million campus addition, houses 27 honors students, a variety of educational events and countless opportunities.

Located at 81 Oak Hill Ave., the house opened in August to sophomores, juniors and seniors part of the Leland F. and Helen Schubert Honors Program, who applied in the spring to reside in the new house.

The Gillespie Honors House was officially dedicated Thursday Oct. 19 during Ohio Wesleyan’s 2017 Homecoming and Family Weekend. President Rock Jones, Honors Program Director Amy McClure and the Gillespies were in attendance to speak at the crowded dedication.

The Gillespie Honors House moderator, junior Cindy Huynh, also spoke at the event showing her support for the house and its donors. As moderator, she works with housemates and the Honors Board to plan and host events at the spacious house.

“I believe that the Honors House is very unique and different from the other themed houses,” Huynh said. “We all have different backgrounds, perspectives and passions, which allows us to learn from each other. We all motivate and support each other to be the best that we can in order to reach our academic goals and aspirations.”

The student residence was built with funding from alumni Robert W. Gillespie ‘66, a key player in Cleveland banking industries, and his wife, Ann L. Wible Gillespie ‘67.

Both are still deeply involved in the university. Ann is a strong legacy, and Robert is an OWU Life Trustee and a board member of University Advancement, Finance and Operations, and Investments committees. Both are also members of the Founders’ Circle for their more than $1 million contribution and were involved in their 50th class reunions.

“Mr. and Mrs. Gillespie and their family are very passionate about students and their experience here at OWU,” Huynh said. “Their vision was to build and cultivate a community with the university’s best and brightest minds from now and for many more generations.”

In addition to their $2 million contribution for the house, their gift included another $500,000 for the Ann Wible Gillespie Endowed Scholarship, the Jack Dawson Scholarship and the Ohio Wesleyan Fund to sponsor campus operations.

In Ann’s dedication speech, she told of her grandson questioning their major donation to the university when there were programs such as cancer research to support.

“I think I said something like ‘You know, it seems to me that all real progress starts with education 
 for the most part, this is the core for getting our country and the world where it needs to be,’” Robert said.

The sleaze goes beyond the screen

By Gopika Nair, Editor-in-Chief

A woman who wants to make it in the film industry is expected to schmooze by letting men have their way with them.

Then, they have to remain silent because speaking out against prominent Hollywood figures would be detrimental to their careers. That’s just Hollywood, babe.

Except it’s time to denounce that attitude. It’s time to wholly obliterate the very idea that those who want to make a name of themselves, in Hollywood or otherwise, have to put up with a sleazy man or two.

Harvey Weinstein is a Hollywood mogul. Regardless of whether you’re a frequent moviegoer or not, you’ve heard of his movies, perhaps even loved them. They range from cult favorites such as “Pulp Fiction” and “Sing Street” to Academy favorites such as “The King’s Speech” and “Silver Linings Playbook.”

Nearly 50 actresses and others who work in the film industry have made sexual assault allegations against Weinstein so far, from A-listers such as Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow to international stars such as Asia Argento and LĂ©a Seydoux.

Because of Weinstein’s alleged actions, lesser-known women intent on pursuing a career in the film industry gave it up altogether, according to Vanity Fair.

It’s no wonder these sexual assault allegations only just came to light, even though their occurrences allegedly spanned decades.

These actresses were expected to remain silent. Because Weinstein had the power to essentially make or break these women’s careers, they had no choice. Because it’s Hollywood, babe.

But as demonstrated by the #MeToo campaign that came to fruition in the aftermath of these allegations, most of us know a Weinstein and most of us aren’t looking to make it big in Hollywood or seeking an Academy win.

Our clothes aren’t custom-made for us by Chanel and we probably don’t have a shot of being featured on The Ellen Show or The Tonight Show. We’re people who live private, low-profile lives no one follows, but we’re still plagued by Weinsteins.

Sure, maybe it’s not a facsimile; maybe it’s just fragments of a Weinstein-like character. Maybe we know them through the fortunate shield of someone else’s experience; maybe we know them because of our own bad luck.

Seeing as people like Weinstein aren’t a rarity in the world, it’s baffling that “no means no” still isn’t a universally acknowledged concept. It’s horrifying that people’s bodies are being violated against their will, by people in power, by authoritative figures, by neighbors, friends,  significant others and perhaps worst of all, by family members.

But how and where does all this end?

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 54-member board decided to expel Weinstein from the academy, according to Vogue. Following the allegations, Weinstein’s studio fired him.

There might be more repercussions, but none of them are going to undo his actions. But at the very least, with the number of prominent figures who have condemned Weinstein and his actions since the allegations against him came to light, some semblance of hope remains that this situation has at least proven that silence is no longer the only option, that speaking out can actually achieve some good and some justice in the grand scheme of things.

Save riots for the street; keep them away from sports

By Kienan O’Doherty, A&E Editor

Riots have occurred in major cities around the globe, and the one thing that unites all people is safely staying away from the confrontations.

Sports unite almost everybody, from basketball to baseball to rugby, and especially the world’s most popular sport, soccer.

With many issues being demonstrated by protests and riots nowadays, sports teams are opting to play behind closed doors. Or in other words, not let a single fan into the stadium.

Some sporting events have faced criticism for doing this.

Most recently, FC Barcelona decided to play UD Las Palmas in a league game behind closed doors at their stadium, the Camp Nou. The reasoning for this was because of the violence in Catalonia due to the 2017 Catalan independence referendum.

Another example is the Baltimore Orioles, who played the first ever crowd-less game in the history of Major League Baseball.

Officials decided to play the games behind closed doors because of a wave of looting and rioting around Camden Yards that broke out amid tensions between residents and police. The turmoil, prompting a citywide curfew, came hours after the funeral of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who sustained a fatal spinal cord injury while in police custody.

Now I understand that a sporting event is one of the most popular things to watch. But for the players’ safety, as well as the fans’, cautionary measures have to be taken.

For example, a soccer game in Europe can even cause more riots than subdue them, as fan behavior has become a big factor postgame. Even after a victory.

According to CBC News, a riot that occurred in Montreal in 1993 after a victory, saw “ rioters burnt or smashed 16 police cars as well as other vehicles.”

After the Vancouver Canucks lost the Stanley Cup to the Boston Bruins in 2011, riots cost the city “Just over $3.7 million. There were 112 businesses and 122 vehicles damaged, and 52 assaults were reported against civilians, police and emergency personnel, according to Global News.

If a team decides to play behind closed doors, it is to look out for their safety, as well as the stadium’s and make sure they aren’t a part of the outside confrontations.

Student shares NYT democracy forum experience

By Alameina White, Transcript Reporter

Ohio Wesleyan sophomore Raissa Kanku was one of four college students worldwide selected to participate in a New York Times global democracy forum held in Athens, Greece.

From Sept. 10-15, Kanku was exposed to many influential leaders around the world, including the prime minister of Kenya, Amina Mohammed and Annika Savill, the executive head of the United Nations Democracy Fund.   

Though only four hours were spent at the forum a day, Kanku said she was networking 24 hours a day with the people she was being exposed to.

Kanku was given the opportunity to sit on a panel with Kerry Kennedy, the president of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights; Irina Bokova, the director of General UNESCO; and Brian Smith, the president of Europe, the Middle East and Africa Group and the Coca-Cola Company.

On the panel, they were given the topic of “bridging the generation gap” (elders against the youth).  On another panel where Kanku sat with European journalists, they discussed climate change.

Kanku said she did not believe that the way the organization leaders answered the question were representative of people from different regions. Instead, she said they based their answers on what they had personally done.

But Kanku said she enjoyed the opportunity to network with people who understand her passion for helping child soldiers within the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo integrate back into their community.

“It was a platform for me to express how I felt about organizations and for me to network with people who could help me further my ideas,” Kanku said.

In the process of networking, Kanku and other students from around the world observed that the representation of minorities was less. Kanku noted that while there were students from Pakistan, there were no leaders from Pakistan at the forum.

“You have this forum that’s supposed to represent the whole world, but it didn’t really,” Kanku said.

The students discussed topics like these and their perspectives of what they’d heard when they returned to where they were staying, the American College of Greece, in discussions led by Richard Detweiler, president of the Global Liberal Arts Alliance.

The Global Liberal Arts Alliance sent a general call to politics and government professors across campus.

Ashley Biser, associate professor of politics and government, was familiar with Kanku’s Theory-to-Practice Grants and nominated Kanku to apply.

Biser nominated Kanku because of her spirit and energy, unique background and desire to make democracy stronger.

“I think that she is someone who cares a lot about the world and trying to make it a better place,” said Biser.

In the evenings, Kanku had the chance to explore Greece and toured the Acropolis Museum where she learned about how much Greece developed in terms of government.  Kanku also said she  enjoyed the architecture and the gyros.

“You could walk downtown and still see how everything was styled in Ancient Greece,” said Kanku. “There was so much history.”

Attorney gives lecture on DACA

By Aleksei Pavloff, Sports Editor 

Attorney Joe Mas visited Ohio Wesleyan to give a lecture about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) on Sept. 27.

DACA is an immigration policy that is meant to let children, who were brought into the U.S. illegally, to stay. The policy was established under an executive order passed by President Barack Obama in 2012 and has since been challenged by current President Donald  Trump.

“Many of us are afraid of change, having discussions on diversity, equity and inclusion is not easy, which is why we invited Joe Mas to share with our campus and town community his expertise on DACA,” said professor Juan Armando Rojas.

Mas is an attorney and an immigration specialist. He also served as director of the Ohio Commission on Hispanic and Latinx affairs in the 1990s. The organization is a state agency that focuses on issues in the Hispanic community. Mas has also been an attorney since 1979.

“I got to testify in front of the House of Representatives and the Senate frequently,” Mas said. He continued to say that his experience alerted him to the issues of Hispanic people who are living in the state of Ohio.

“Since that time, we have had a very active political discourse here in Ohio concerning language issues and immigrant issues,” Mas said.

With a very diverse and experienced background, Rojas said he felt that Mas’ knowledge was something that OWU students and faculty should hear.

“Joe [Mas] has invested much of his efforts and time supporting and legally advising immigrants and underrepresented people that usually don’t fit in with the traditional bureaucratic categories,” Rojas said.

Mas said his main goal of the lecture was to give attendees a history on DACA and to provide an opportunity for the audience ask questions.

UCLA professor headlines lecture series

By Spencer Pauley, Copy Editor 

A UCLA professor’s lecture about Ulysses S. Grant restored his status from an American myth to an American hero.

Joan Waugh, a prize-winning Civil War author and professor of history at UCLA, was the guest speaker at this year’s Richard W. Smith lecture on Sept. 28. The lecture has been an annual event held in honor of former Ohio Wesleyan professor Richard W. Smith.

Waugh has published essays and written books specializing in the Civil War. Waugh’s prize-winning book on Ulysses S. Grant, titled U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth, was discussed in more detail at the lecture.

Before Waugh talked about Grant, she pointed out that she sat in on classes and was impressed with OWU students.

“I have to say [the students] are a great bunch,” Waugh said. “You should be proud of your students and those who are students should be proud to be at this university.”

Waugh discussed Grant and talked about several lesser known facts about Grant. Grant was revered by mid-19th century Americans because of his humble background. He was considered the most popular American for most of the late 1800s. His grave site was even New York City’s most popular tourist site up until the 1920s.

The one point Waugh made about Grant was that he was ahead of his time in the support of African American rights.

“Grant proved to be a strong supporter of African-American civil rights,” Waugh said. “He had far more commitment to African-Americans than people in the north were willing to give.”

“[Ulysses S. Grant] proved to be a strong supporter of African-American civil rights. He had far more commitment to African-Americans than

people in the north were willing to give.”

Joan Waugh, professor of history at UCLA.

Dave Papoi ‘65 attended Waugh’s lecture. He has gone to the past Richard W. Smith lectures and enjoyed this year’s.

“She pretty well followed many of the ideas of her book, which is good,” Papoi said. “I think she was very effective.”

The lecture was presented by the Richard W. Smith endowed fund. 

OWU hosts community CROP Walk

By Aleksei Pavloff, Sports Editor 

Ohio Wesleyan University hosted the annual CROP Hunger Walk to raise funds for People in Need and Church World Service on Oct. 8.

Students, faculty and members of the Delaware community came together to raise money for people in need of food and other living needs.

The walk is meant to represent the distance that many people in developing countries travel just to get food and water.

The event was organized by the Chaplain’s Office and the Community Service Learning Office. The walk raised more than $6,000 to help those who are in need of food and water.

“[The CROP Walk] is just a wonderful opportunity to bring campus and community together,” said Sally Leber, the director of Service Learning.

The walk also raises money for an organization called the Church World Service (CWS).

According to the CWS website, the organization has been around for seven decades with their one goal being to build “a world where there is enough for all.” The organization works with all types of faith backgrounds.

“[CWS’s] main mission is to partner with organizations that are doing hunger and thirst relief,” said Lisa Ho, the associate chaplain at OWU.

Ho has been at OWU for 13 years and has helped organize the walk for more than 10 years.

CWS works all over the world to help those in developing countries get the food and water they need to sustain life. Ho mentioned they also help with maintaining ways for people to get access to food and water. This is done by giving crops and livestock to individuals in need and also teach people how to farm.

The CROP Walk is not just exclusive to the OWU campus.

CWS puts on many events all over the country that help different communities and areas all over the world, according to Ho.

“The people who raise funds, 75 percent of those funds goes to Church World Service and 25 percent stays in the Delaware community,” said Ho. “We give [the funds] to the People in Need food pantry.”

Ho said this year, many of the funds raised by CWS will go to the hurricane relief. This is due to the recent hurricanes in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico.

Poetry festival brings Latin America to OWU

By Kienan O’Doherty, A&E Editor 

The Ohio Wesleyan modern foreign languages department, as well as Viva Latinx, held a two-day poetry festival on Oct. 9 and Oct. 10 that celebrated Latin American literature.

The festival, held in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, welcomed poets from a variety of countries, including Argentina, Colombia and Spain.

Juan Armando Rojas Joo, professor of modern foreign languages and associate dean of diversity and inclusion, expressed that poetry is an essential part of Latin American culture

“In Latin America, poetry festivals are organized to build a sense of community, where creative freedom, equity and multiculturalism can be celebrated,” Rojas said.

The festival began on Oct. 9, with a poetry reading from all of the guest poets, as well as translator Jennifer Rathburn, a professor of Latin American literature at Ashland University.

Each poet read around two to three poems.

Among some of the guests were Mauricio Espinoza from Costa Rica, as well as Guillermo Arango from Cuba.

Espinoza’s latest poetry book, respiración de piedras, won the 2015 National Award from the University of Costa Rica, and Arango has received several literary awards.

Later that same day in the final event of the festival, all of the poets returned to participate in Poetry Book presentations.

The poets’ diction and tone of voice was supposed to present a powerful and moving message. Junior Serena George, who attended the event, said she believed that to be the case.

“It was a privilege to be able to listen to and meet the poets that came to the festival,” George said. “The emotion they put into their work showed the power words have to inspire, heal and unite people.

WCSA Today: Freshman class retains right to vote in their first semester

By Spencer Pauley, Copy Editor

After much debate among members of the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs, first-year and transfer students who are a part of the student government will continue to have voting power on bills and amendments during their first semester on WCSA.

For three weeks, senators discussed the bill, proposed by senior Ryan Bishop, that would restrict first-year students from voting during their first semester. In the end, the bill was not passed.

The freshman class cannot have representatives in their first semester, but are still able to have a say in any proposed amendments.

Senior Robert Gossett said he believes that despite not having any representatives, the class’ opinion still matters.

“Not allowing [freshmen] to vote, that is essentially silencing their opinion,” Gossett said.

There are members of WCSA who have been a part of meetings and discussions since they were freshmen and believe strongly in having that class’ opinion be valuable.

Junior Michael Sheetz, WCSA vice president, is one of those members. He said he doesn’t think students should be limited by other students, no matter their graduating year.

“What I care about is us standing with our morals and principles, and mine are telling me that it’s not OK to restrict our student of body when we are the student of body, simple as that,” Sheetz said.

Junior Caroline Hamlin, secretary, agreed with Sheetz.

“OWU is built on the idea of being involved and having an impact in what you say,” Hamlin said. “When I was a freshman, I felt that being able to vote was what made it most special for me because I was heard.”

So for the foreseeable future, students of all class years will still have a say in WCSA meetings.

Additionally, a bill that would allocate $175 toward a punching bag in the Welch gym, proposed by junior Armando Polizzi and sophomore Maxwell Aaronson, did not pass. Though the bill didn’t pass, it had roughly 40 percent of the vote count.

“This bill was voted down partly on fiscal conservationism and partly on what some took as logistical messiness,” said senior Chris Dobeck, WCSA president.