William Cronon receives honorary degree for work with liberal education

By Madeleine Matos, Transcript Reporter 

Ohio Wesleyan University honored William J. Cronon with an honorary degree for his work with liberal education that lead to the creation of OWU Connection.

The ceremony took place in Gray Chapel on Sept. 14, with President Rock Jones; Ellen Arnold, associate professor of history; Zackariah Long, associate professor of English, among those honoring Cronon.

Much of the freshman class was in attendance as well, as part of an assignment for the freshman course UC 160: The OWU experience.

UC 160 was designed to teach freshmen about the university, and what it means to receive a liberal education. The inspiration behind this course is attributed to Cronon, aided by his essay Only Connect: The Goals of a Liberal Education.

“The idea to honor Professor Cronon with this degree came when we decided that UC 160 would be a universal part of the curriculum,” Arnold said. “Honorary degrees reflect OWU’s mission and values. Since Cronon’s essay ‘Only Connect: The Goals of a Liberal Education’ is now sent out to all first-year students as a piece that reflects those values, it seemed a perfect match.”

The speech given by Cronon after the ceremony discussed many ideals that not only are valued by Cronon, but by students here on campus as well.

Cronon discussed how his life choices led him to have degrees in many fields, and that many of these fields came to him by accident. The idea of finding your passion using the liberal arts resonated with students. Cronon also talked about putting work into whatever field you pursue, and that it is not always easy.

“Not everything in life is going to be handed to you, you need to work hard and things will eventually take their place,” freshman Madison Drabick said.

Cronon discussed traveling across the world for his studies, something that many students on campus have expressed interest in, leading to the creation of the OWU Connection program.

The program allows students to connect what is being learned in the classroom to real life situations, which can include international studies.

“I hope to be part of the OWU Connection,” freshman Claire Yetzer said. “It would be a great experience to be able to study abroad or take a travel-learning trip.”

The final message Cronon left for attendees is one that is common among students on campus: the idea of exploring whatever you can through the liberal arts, and being able to connect on campus with other students.

“That’s really the core of lifelong learning, and something I aspire to,” Arnold said.

Third I-cubed lecture topics announced

By Aleksei Pavloff, Sports Editor 

Ohio Wesleyan professors are prepared to introduce, explain and educate the campus community in three minutes with the third installment of the I-cubed lecture series.

The I-cubed lecture series has been a big part in showing what the OWU learning environment is like since its inception in spring 2016. The event focuses on 10 current professors who choose specific topics in their area of study.

“The purpose of it is to give prospective students a little snapshot of what life is like in the academic classroom at Ohio Wesleyan,” said Alice Simon, professor of economics.

According to OWU’s website, “Students select 10 of their favorite professors to deliver lectures with ideas, insight and imagination in only three minutes. The event is a showcase of great teaching and the breadth of expertise on the OWU campus.”

“It is an honor to be asked,” Simon said. “Here I am being asked to represent the school. I love this place and it’s an easy thing for me to do.”

The challenge for the professors who are presenting is to talk about a concept they teach within three minutes. Simon said that there have been professors that have referred to past videos of lectures to understand the format.

Simon’s lecture is “Why Can’t the Best Decisions Always Be Fair?” which is a concept in economics that shows how scarcity affects decision-making. Her main goal, she said, is to offer students the opportunity to take an economics course. Her style of teaching doesn’t involve PowerPoint presentations or computers, she said. She feels that even without the bells and whistles, her style of teaching is effective.

The material that gets covered can range from actual lecture material, talking about an important issue, or simply discussing past experiences all while still focusing on learning and education.

Last year, Keith Mann, professor of geology, gave a lecture discussing his battle with cancer while focusing on the topic of learning. Students can view his lecture on OWU’s YouTube page.

The third installment of the I-cubed lectures will be Oct. 17 at noon-1 p.m. in the Benes Rooms in the Hamilton-Williams Center. The school will also stream the lectures online and publish the event on YouTube.

The event is filmed and published on online. Students can go and view past lectures by searching OhioWesleyanU on YouTube.

The 2017 I-cubed lineup features Barbara Andereck, professor of physics and astronomy; Ellen Arnold, associate professor of history; Ashley Biser, associate professor of politics and government; Michael Flamm, professor of history; Shala Hankison, associate professor of zoology; Ed Kahn, professor of theatre and dance; Sean McCulloch, professor of mathematics and computer science; Judylyn Ryan, associate professor of English; Alice Simon, professor of economics; and Kyle Smith, associate professor of psychology.

DACA’s effect on Ohio Wesleyan

By Gopika Nair, Editor-in-Chief 

Jose Armendariz roots for the U.S. soccer team when it plays against Mexico.

“People might call me a traitor, but why would I support a country I don’t have a memory of and have never grown up in?” Armendariz said.

The Ohio Wesleyan freshman was born in Mexico and moved to the U.S. with his family when he was 2 years old. Armendariz lived in North Carolina for most of his life. After receiving a scholarship that would cover his college education as long as he attended an out-of-state, liberal arts college, Armendariz enrolled at OWU.

Now at 18, the U.S. is the only home Armendariz has known, and he is one among more than 800,000 recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Armendariz received DACA protection at 14 when former President Barack Obama created the program through an executive order passed in 2012. On Sept. 5, President Donald Trump’s administration announced the decision to end DACA, making its recipients eligible for deportation.

“I was surprised, but I wasn’t in shock about it because President Trump hasn’t really been in favor of DACA,” Armendariz said.

Because of his interest in politics, Armendariz followed the news and presidential debates closely. When Trump became a presidential candidate, Armendariz said he anticipated an annulment to DACA.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security stopped accepting new DACA applications received after Sept. 5. A few hours after the Trump administration announced that DACA would be rescinded, Trump tweeted that Congress had six months to legalize DACA.

Armendariz said he and his family are hoping that Congress will push a legislation within six months that’ll let him and other DACA recipients stay in the country, adding that he is glad Trump delayed the process of ending DACA.

“We’re just crossing our fingers that Congress understands that we don’t really have any other home,” Armendariz said.

President Rock Jones sent a campus-wide email addressing the end of DACA. In the email, Jones said he and the other presidents of the Ohio Five colleges have sent a letter to Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), requesting they act to protect DACA students.

“[DACA students] grew up in our country, excelled in its high schools, and now stand ready to contribute to our nation,” the letter to Sen. Portman said. “Cutting short their educations through threatened deportation denies them — and us — the promise of that future.”

In addition, Jones sent an email on Sept. 11 sharing that the presidents of the Great Lakes Colleges Association schools released a letter supporting the tenets of DACA.

“An attorney will visit campus this week to be available to provide legal guidance for DACA students,” Jones said. “If DACA students lose external financial aid, we will work to provide resources to ensure that they can stay at OWU.”

Jones added that OWU would also work vigorously to support Congress’ efforts to provide a legislative solution to protect DACA students.

Juan Armando Rojas Joo, associate dean for diversity and inclusion and professor of modern foreign languages, said it’s hard to state a number as to how many DACA students are enrolled at OWU currently.

“The OWU community (students, staff and faculty members), and hopefully the Delaware community, should understand that protecting these, our ‘invisible’ Dreamers, it’s crucial, it’s essential, as it offers value to our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy Statement that recognizes and celebrates diversity,” Rojas said.

Rojas also said that he hopes Congress will be able to support those covered by DACA and possibly provide citizenship to the students who grew up in this country and arrived to the U.S. as children.

DACA recipients go through extensive criminal and background checks to maintain their status. With more pressing issues weighing on the world right now, such as the destruction left behind by two hurricanes, Armendariz said he doesn’t understand why Trump decided to rescind DACA now.

“I’m very blessed to have a scholarship that covers me, I’m not employed and I don’t have a car so I can’t lose my permit, but heart goes out to people who do have jobs and whose permits are about to expire,” he said.

Despite everything, Armendariz said that deep in his heart, he loves this country.

“There are no Mexican values in me, it’s just American values,” he said. “[The U.S.] is the only country I know and you can’t really hate a country you grew up in even if we’re passing through a tumultuous time. I still have faith in it. [Trump’s decision to end DACA] has brought both sides of the parties together.”

Joseph Mas, a Cuban-American attorney from Columbus and immigration law expert, will offer students an informative public session about DACA and meet with students individually if they so desire at 6 p.m., Sept. 27, according to Rojas.

Women’s soccer team honors Baby Lou

By Jesse Sailer, Transcript Reporter 

The Ohio Wesleyan woman’s soccer team kicked off their 2017-18 season on Friday, Sept. 1 against Earlham in honor of OWU alumni Megan (‘09) and Dan (‘08) Dyer, and their newborn daughter Lou.

All proceeds from Friday’s game went toward the Dot’s Tot’s Foundation to help Baby Lou combat the effects of cerebral palsy that were caused by complications during her delivery.

Dot’s Tot’s Foundation is a nonprofit charity that was founded in 2012 that aid families who foster, have teenagers pursuing a higher education, or have children with disabling diseases/illnesses or injuries.

All eyes were on Baby Lou as Megan and Dan acted as honorary captains for the coin toss at the start of the game, before making their way off the field and into the arms of family and friends.

President Rock Jones said the alumni who came together for Friday night’s game “are still connected and caring for one another and supporting one another in good times and bad,” and “that there’s a really powerful sense of family.”

Honoring families, individuals and advocating just causes is nothing new to OWU athletics. Concerted efforts have been made to involve the OWU student body in events, such as these, that extend beyond the field.

Jones said it would be wonderful if more OWU games would be organized to benefit foundations and struggling families.

“I credit the people who had the idea to do this and made it happen,” Jones said. The Battling Bishops rallied to beat Earlham 1-0, with a goal by freshman forward Emily Sheridan.

“We are playing for a very special family,” said junior Megan Price, who plays forward for the woman’s soccer team. “They’ve brought such a miracle into this world.”

It’s one thing to start your season off with a win on home turf, but to play for a family like the Dyers, it makes the win that much sweeter.

Taylor Swift’s single makes waves with its new sound

By Madeleine Matos, Transcript Reporter 

Taylor Swift is back again with her new chart-topping single, “Look What You Made Me Do,” which is coming off of her upcoming studio album Reputation.

The song is a departure from her music styles in the past. When thinking of the country artist turned pop phenomenon, the idea of angry is not what comes to mind.

Yet, the sound isn’t necessarily bad.

Swift is known for writing from the heart, with many of her songs being connected to her former boyfriends, bullies or her childhood.

The song’s lyrics are more difficult to interpret but still pack a punch. Lines such as, “I don’t like your little games / Don’t like your tilted stage” or “But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time / Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time” showcases Swift as someone unlike the innocent pop princess of years past.

Swift has been accused of playing the victim card in this song, as listeners question who the song is directed toward. After many repeated plays and looking at the lyrics, I presume the song is about the Kanye and Kim Kardashian-West feud that Swift has been at the center of for more than a year.

The song is catchy and energetic in all aspects. “Look What You Made Me Do” has a similar sound to the infamous “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred.

The musical group is credited as co-writers on the song. I recommend giving the song a chance before the album comes out as a precursor to see what Swift has in mind.

With empowering lyrics and a beat that you cannot get out of your head, “Look What You Made Me Do” is a song that any Swift fan will enjoy, and allows those who are not fans of her previous music a chance to explore a new style.

Wesleyan Players host sketch comedy show

By Alameina White, Transcript Reporter 

Ohio Wesleyan students performed monologues constructed in 45 minutes.

The Wesleyan Players hosted a sketch comedy this past Saturday in Chappelear Drama Center’s Studio Theatre with special co-host Dave Winnyk.

About 25 people went to see the Wesleyan Players, Babbling Bishops and theatre members put on a 45-minute comedy show, constructed of several monologues.

Winnyk graduated from OWU in 2013 and went on to open the Real Good Sketch Company in Chicago, Illinois. The Real Good Sketch Co. travels around the Midwest, putting on comedy sketch shows for varied audiences as well as teach them about comedy and “how to be funny.”

In just a few hours, Winnyk taught students how to look at and write comedy from different points of view. Winnyk then sent each student to construct their own comedic monologues in 45 minutes. Afterward, the students brought their monologues together to create an entire show in three hours.

Similar to the Wesleyan Players’ events, the 23-Hour Play Fest and the Too Late Show, students had less than 24 hours to create and perform their pieces. Event with the little time they had, the performers still had the audience laughing and throughout the entire show.

“All it takes to put on a good performance is creative people and dedication,” said junior Ares Harper, president of the Wesleyan Players Club.

These sketches weren’t like shows put on by standup comedians such as Kevin Hart and Dave Chappelle. Each monologue entailed its own joke.

“It’s not like standup comedy,” said sophomore Rose Jonesco. “Your monologue is your joke. The question is what is funny about your perspective?”

The show’s overarching theme was politically inclined with a focus on the end of the world. But the topics ranged from “Putin and President Donald Trump’s last phone conversation” to a man’s lack of knowledge of the female anatomy.

“In the end, we learned to expand our comedy and where our comedy comes from,” Jonesco said. A live-stream video of the performance can be found on Dave Winnyk’s Facebook page.

Letter to the Editor: WCSA addresses textbook affordability for students

By Ryan Bishop

Going to college is an expensive journey and our student government, the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA), acknowledges the financial difficulty that comes with it, including the cost of textbooks.

Since the spring of 2016, Sens. Ryan Bishop and Nicholas Melvin have been exploring various ways in which WCSA can aid students with textbook affordability.

Work will continue to explore options such as open access books and textbook exchange programs with appropriate campus departments and groups. This semester, however, we are proud to present one affordability pilot project already in motion – the “WCSA Library of Textbooks.”

Last spring, WCSA’s full senate passed a resolution to allocate $13,000 of Initiative funds to a pilot project that would expand the print reserve holdings at the OWU Libraries.

During the spring semester and over the summer, the Libraries staff did some incredible work communicating with WCSA, TLCCP, individual faculty and the bookstore to create selection criteria and compose a suitable list of titles to be placed on course reserves.

The final list contains more than 90 titles and targeted books in 100-200 general education requirement courses. After purchase, items were then placed on print reserve at Beeghly or the Hobson Science Library.

Books can be checked out for four hours at a time (and later renewed if no one is waiting) and pages can be conveniently scanned for use at home.

You can look up title availability at library.owu.edu/reserves. We hope that this program will be useful to all and help alleviate some the struggles of affording textbooks. If you have feedback or would like more information on the program, please, do not hesitate to reach out at wcsaexec@owu.edu.

The violence beyond football

By Kienan O’Doherty, A&E Editor

Football is widely regarded as the most popular American sport, but it is also considered to be the most violent.

Fans love to wake up every Sunday and flip on the TV to watch their beloved teams beat up each other on the field. We, as fans, consider these players heroes and role models.

What no one seems to realize is that most of the violence may occur outside of the stadium.

While we treat these players like deities, we tend to overlook their histories.

Now I know most of us tend to prefer to live in the present, but everyone has a past. Look into someone’s and you may find some surprises.

If you look into an NFL player’s history nowadays, you may find something far more alarming, a record of physical and sexual assault. I’m not saying that every football player has physically assaulted a woman, or anyone for that matter. I’m simply saying the problem the league faces is much larger than on field play.

According to the league’s own Personal Conduct Policy, “It is not enough simply to avoid being found guilty of a crime. We are all held to a higher standard and must conduct ourselves in a way that is responsible, promotes the values of the NFL, and is lawful.”

Now the league does have a protocol if such an instance has occurred, where the commissioner has the right to take action on a player, even if that player is legally cleared.

For example, Dallas Cowboys’ running back Ezekiel Elliott was recently suspended for the first six games of the 2017 season after alleged incidents of domestic assault.

According to an article written by Sean Wagner-McGouh on cbssports.com, Elliott received an injunction and will likely play the season.

Former Baltimore Ravens’ running back Ray Rice was caught on camera assaulting his girlfriend. The tape was released by the team and Rice was indefinitely suspended by the league in 2014.

As of 2015, 44 players have been accused of domestic violence and that number continues to grow. But will this ever end? At the moment, it sure doesn’t look like it. Two teams, the Cincinnati Bengals and Oakland Raiders, added fuel to the fire this year when they both took players convicted of assault. In the first round.

Stephen L. Carter, who wrote a story titled “The NFL has a serious violence problem,” which was published by the Chicago Tribune, said it best: “There is no perfect balance to be struck between the presumption of innocence and the need for the NFL and other sports leagues to set a proper example.”

While the league’s public image is getting worse and worse by the incident, fans need to take caution as to what is acceptable to cheer for.

 

What I consider a successful life

By Spencer Pauley, Copy Editor 

Are the expectations we set for ourselves too high?

Maybe not all of us will go on to do life-changing work in the future, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be successful.

I read an article by the New York Times titled, “You’ll Never Be Famous—And That’s O.K.” The article discussed that too many college students have extraordinary aspirations.

Not every student is going to become the owner of a multibillion dollar franchise, star in a movie franchise, publish a best-seller or make the next big scientific discovery, but students often set high goals like these for themselves.

With goals like that, disappointment might be inevitable. But it just seems wrong to “settle for something smaller” when it comes to my life after OWU.

Then the author of the New York Times article, Emily Smith, said, “The most meaningful lives, I’ve learned, are often not the extraordinary ones. They’re the ordinary ones lived with dignity.”

There is more to life than how much you make, where you live and what kind of car you own. It’s about the respect you’ve earned from those you’ve met that matters more in life.

The satisfaction people have in life does not come from the material goods they obtain, but from the people around them. Whether that be family, friends, or coworkers.

Once you realize that you’re genuinely happier when you’re with the people who you love and love you back, then you know your life is full of success. So as each of us students continue our time here at OWU, understand that it’s not going to be the end of the world if you don’t reach your ultimate goal in life. Work hard and take life in stride, we’ll be all right.

Meet the associate dean for student success

By Alameina White, Transcript Reporter 

After conducting a nationwide search, Ohio Wesleyan chose Kristin Weyman to be the new associate dean for student success.

Before coming to Ohio Wesleyan, Weyman was the associate dean of students at Claremont McKenna College in California. Claremont is a small liberal arts college with a similar atmosphere to OWU; one of the reasons Weyman wanted to come.

Another reason why Weyman wanted to come to OWU was because of the students’ involvement with the community.

“Students who don’t want to just be a part of a community but want to help create the community,” Weyman said. “The students who want to expand their horizons and have a genuine interest in learning.”

As the associate dean for student success, Weyman oversees Residential Life, Health and Counseling Services, Multicultural Student Affairs (MCSA) and Student Conduct.

Weyman was hired to oversee ResLife while OWU looks for a new director. Weyman is also acting as director of MCSA until they find someone to replace the former.

“My whole role is connecting students to the resources they need,” Weyman said. “I hope students will think, ‘I don’t know where else to go, so I’ll go to Kristin.’”

Dwayne Todd, dean of students and vice president for student engagement and success, said he chose Weyman because of her experience and dedication.

“I decided to go with her because this has been her line of work for a long time,” Todd said. “We needed someone who was ready to jump in with both feet.”

Weyman was raised in St. Louis, Missouri, but since she first left, she has been all over the U.S. But no matter where she worked and lived, she always came back home.

“I always seemed to come back to the Midwest,” Weyman said. “It feels more like where I grew up.”

Weyman said she has had a great start at OWU so far. Right now, she is getting know everyone on campus and trying to make students aware of all the resources they have on campus.

“I want to eventually get to where everyone knows where they can turn to me on campus,” Weyman said. While there are students who are still unaware of Weyman’s role on campus, she is still working one person at a time with hopes that word will spread.