E&W Club organize Green Week

By Alanna Henderson, Managing Editor

During the week leading up to Earth Day, Ohio Wesleyan’s Environmental and Wildlife Club (E&W) celebrates with Green Week.

The 2017 theme was “What’s your ecosphere?” which focused on how a person’s everyday life can have a rippling effect on the environment. Throughout the week, students learned about conservation on OWU’s campus and how in the end, certain choices can make an impact on the world.

Sophomore Eva Blockstein, current president of E&W, began thinking of the week’s theme over the previous summer and of cially began planning shortly after winter break.

“I was hoping to make it really cohesive and keeping the entire event together by giving each day a theme, and a theme for the entire week,” Blockstein said. “I think [Green Week] went very well. While each day related to another day, [topics] also [made sense] on its own.”

During Green Week, members of E&W and the House of Peace and Justice tabled in Ham- Will in addition to holdings events in the evening.

Some of the prizes given out each day at tabling were T-shirts, reusable coffee cups, bamboo silverware sets and 5-minute shower timers. In the evening, students created DIY cleaning products to a campus-wide trash cleanup.

“While tabling, I really loved getting to interact with students and [seeing] their excitement as they learned about [environmentalism],” current member Kait Aromy said.

On Earth Day, April 22, some students planted treesattheStratfordEcologicalCenterandother students went to the March for Science in Columbus.

The week came to an end with a nal concert celebration on Saturday at the Amphitheatre, where more than 60 Delaware and campus community members gathered together to listen to music and eat. OWU students and Delaware resident Ceci Clark performed at the concert.

“Highlighting environmentalism on campus and seeing people who really do not care usually, actually [begin] to care about it [is my favorite part],” Blockstein said. “I really wanted to make sure that people know that environmentalism is important. And that it’s something that we should be caring about every single day.”

During the concert, Sally Leber, director of service learning, also presented the Bridge Builder award to E&W. The Bridge Builder award is for outstanding community service, but because of a community service obligation, members of E&W were unable to attend the Golden Bishop Awards that was hosted during the afternoon on Earth Day.

For more information on how to become with E&W or the Bee Keepers Club, visit their Facebook page or contact Peyton Hardesty.

Potential Bishops experience a slice of campus life

By Alanna Henderson, Managing Editor

Every year, Ohio Wesleyan hosts several Slice of College Life events.

This year, ‘Slice’ welcomed 165 admitted students between the three Slice events.

Slice of College Life is an event for high school students who have been accepted to OWU. These types of admission events begin in March and April and allow a chance for potential Bishops to tour campus and meet current students before making their final decision.

May 1 is the deadline for high school students to decide which college to attend.

Laurie Patton ’95 is the senior associate director of admission and the events coordinator and planned ‘Slice.”

“The 2,020 students by the year 2020 initiative is a multi-part initiative,” Patton said. “The ‘Slice of College Life’ events are, in part, part of the initiative, but by no means the largest part.”

While the 2020 plan has a set goal of how many first year students admissions would like to have enrolled for next year, much of the 2020 plan is also focused on retention. Admission events play a key role but other offices on campus are helping with the significant aspect of keeping students on campus.  

“While I would love to take credit for the students who deposit after attending a ‘Slice’ event, there are so many factors that go into a student’s college choice,” Patton said.

After the acceptance deadline, the Admissions Office will have a better estimate of the incoming class size.

Between overnight prospective hosts, scavenger hunt guides, tour guides and other student helpers, more than 100 current OWU students involved.

Junior Kari Seymour has been a tour guide all three years and said she enjoys getting to know the students while showing off the campus. In previous years, Seymour also helped with the campus scavenger hunt.

“My favorite part about Slice of Life is the scavenger hunt that prospective students go on around campus,” Seymour said. “It’s a really unique experience for them to get to know each other and the campus in a different way than normal.”

Patton said, “While it is very time consuming to prepare to these events, I’m fortunate that I have been doing this for a number of years, so many of the things I do to plan and prepare for an event have become streamlined and efficient.”

Rain or shine, one of Patton’s favorite activities during ‘Slice’ is the food trucks that come to campus.

“I enjoy having the food trucks at the event,” Patton said.  “I love seeing the current students and prospective students interacting while waiting for their food.”

Dan’s Deli, the Blue Chew and Kona Ice were all parked in the Stuyvesant parking lot where students could grab a bite to eat before watching a performance in Milligan Hub featuring the Babbling Bishops, OWU’s own comedy improv troupe, and OWU alum and magician Bill Boaz ’16.

“The most rewarding part, for me, is working with a student throughout their college search, seeing them choose and enroll at OWU, watching their growth over their years here and then keeping in touch with them post-OWU and seeing their progress through life,” Patton said.

Thousands of Ohioans march for science in Columbus

By Sara Hollabaugh, Online Editor

Ohio Wesleyan students and Columbus residents alike spent their Earth Day marching for science—not silence.

The march started at 11 a.m. on April 22 at the Columbus Statehouse.

Marchers went down High Street to the Columbus Commons for a celebration after.

According to the official March for Science website, their mission includes science as a “pillar of human freedom and prosperity.”

“We unite as a diverse, nonpartisan group to call for science that upholds the common good, and for political leaders and policymakers to enact evidence-based policies in the public interest,” the mission stated.

After the event concluded, the March for Science Facebook page thanked everyone who participated, physically and in spirit.

“Our official crowd estimate is 5,600—almost double what we expected,” the Facebook site said. “Your support and enthusiasm were overwhelming.”

Senior Malloy McCorkle, a neuroscience and psychology double major with a minor in biology, went to the Columbus march with senior Dana Beach.

“[We had] signs advocating for the protection and distribution of science,” McCorkle said. “We stood alongside many other scientists, activists, and concerned citizens.”

After the march, McCorkle said the commons had organizations promoting science and health care, as well as food and music.

“The event brought all scientists and activists together to demonstrate the importance of science-based public policy, scientific research and STEM education,” McCorkle said. “All who attended the march were upset about recent attacks on scientific evidence and complete disregard for science by policymakers.”

McCorkle said as a scientist, she believes it is a necessity to have factual information about science provided to the public.

Senior Jackson Hotaling, a history and geography major, attended the march in Columbus and joined a small group in Delaware as well.

“[The march had] impassioned marchers with signs and shouts [showing] Columbus that its citizens care about science,” Hotaling said. “And science is important.”

Hotaling added people marched for many different reasons.

“Some were scientists themselves, while others supported a wide array of NGOs, parks and small businesses,” Hotaling said. “I wanted to come because I believe that, environmentally, we are not taking the proper steps to make a better world for the future.

Hotaling said he was able to talk with many of these different people at the march.

“We shared ideas and a beautiful day, and I left feeling optimistic about what is next,” Hotaling said.

Pulse survivor speaks at SOL Conference

By Allie Smith, Transcript Correspondent

Love, hope and positivity form the structure of a word that impacts the lives of many. That word is forgiveness.

Angel Colon, a survivor of the Pulse nightclub mass shooting in Orlando last June spoke to Ohio Wesleyan students April 22 in Merrick Hall as a part of the Summit of Ohio Latinx Conference (SOL). His talk highlighted the three values of forgiveness.

Colon’s presentation, “The Pulse that Never Stops Beating,” explained what his life was like during and after the massacre. He said he hoped to spread a message of diversity, acceptance of differences and forgiveness.

June 11 began as a normal day for Colon. After getting off work early, he decided to go to the Pulse nightclub with a few friends.

Colon and many others did not realize they would be the center of international attention in the early morning of June 12 after clubbing at a bar designed for members of the LGBTQ+ community.

At 2 a.m., Colon and his friends heard the first gunshots. The shooter shot Colon three times in the leg after taking fewer than two steps toward the exit. He shattered his femur as a result of being trampled.

The shooter intended to make sure everyone in the club was dead, according to Colon. The shooter re-entered the club after leaving for a short time and shot Colon again along with the other victims sprawled on the floor next to him.

Despite his near-death experience because of a person’s hate, Colon talked of his accomplishments and goals he has made since the early morning of June 12.

Colon continues to contact survivors and speaks to the officer who saved his life every day. He also spoke of the amount of love and support he receives as a result of the incident.

Colon explained how he copes with his permanent injuries and also discussed his aim to spread forgiveness.

“I don’t like being a depressed person,” Colon said. “I needed to move forward and use my second chance at this life as a way to spread a message.”

His presentation was a means of motivation and inspiration to take on the prejudices faced daily by marginalized communities.

In the words of Colon, you can never forget, but you can forgive.

The second SOL Conference is what brought Colon to OWU.

SOL originated at Denison University in the spring of 2016 when Latinx students, staff and faculty began to raise questions about the growing Latinx student population at predominantly white colleges and universities in the Midwest, according to the SOL website.

Topics that SOL discusses include how to support the Latinx population, how to help this population gain resources and how to bring awareness to issues that they face on and off campus and other issues, said senior Michael Mora-Brenes, a volunteer at this year’s conference.

This year’s SOL Conference took place April 21-22.

OWU hosted SOL 2017 in an effort to broaden and build Latinx awareness in other college campuses across Ohio, said Mora-Brenes. He said he hopes OWU can continue it every year.

“Angel represents the ideals of SOL through his love and compassion,” Mora-Brenes said. “Every story has an end, but in life, every end has a new beginning. I think Angel is a good source to get that message across.”

Seniors to run the Final Lap

By Liz Hardaway, Arts & Entertainment Editor

It’s the final countdown.

With nals approaching, graduating seniors and underclassmen can look forward to the Final Lap on May 9.

After commencement rehearsals, seniors will be running at 8:30 p.m. under inflatable arches decorated with lights down the path around Slocum Hall all the way to Chappelear Drama Center. Then, seniors will turn around, go down the JAYWalk, and end the walk at the Gordon Field House, where underclassmen can join for music and food.

“It definitely isn’t just a senior class event; we want the whole campus to benefit from [the Final Lap],” said senior Lee LeBoef, president of Senior Class Council.

Getting inspiration from the Night Nation Run, a running music festival, the Senior Class Council has been planning this event since October.

“Our senior class council is hoping that this will turn into a tradition that will last for many years to come,” said senior Daud Baz, treasurer of Senior Class Council. There will also be food trucks, such as Dan’s Deli, and a beer truck, provided by Delmar Distilleries, stationed in the Science Center parking lot.

The Stolen Fire, comprising Ohio Wesleyan professors, will perform at 8:45 p.m. in the Gordon Field House. At 9:45 p.m., DJ BitFlip and Firecat 451 will be performing an EDM show until 11:45 pm.

“My biggest goal was to have something unifying for the entire senior class as a final celebration,” LeBoeuf said.

 

 

OWU football tackles Spanish turf

By Evan Walsh, Chief Copy Editor

Ohio Wesleyan football is looking for a big win …. in Spain. Thirty team members, led by coaches and staff, will make the trip to Barcelona next month,where they will spend two weeks practicing, playing and traveling.

Barcelona is home to the Badalona Dracs who are part of the first division of Liga Nacional de Fútbol Americano (LNFA). They happen to be the reigning champions of the LNFA, so OWU can expect to face the league’s best.

Coach Tom Watts is optimistic that this will improve the program, and promote the sport abroad. Watts hopes, most importantly, that it will provide students with a unique learning experience.

Mason Tomblin, a senior linebacker, has never been out of the country.

“I choose to go on this trip because I have never been out of the USA. And to play football there too would be a once in a lifetime deal,” Tomblin said.

Tomblin is not alone. Ryan Rhodes, who is currently taking Spanish classes here is looking forward to a new culture in a new place.

“I have never been to Europe before and have always been interested with how non-americans play football,” Rhodes said.

According to NCAA rules, colleges and universities are allowed to travel internationally once every four years. Four years ago, OWU visited Italy.

The university is not paying for the trip, instead, those attending will have to pay their way there. The cost covers airfare, meals, American Football Worldwide helped to organize and make arrangements for the stay.

An itinerary has already been made. The team arrives on the sixteenth and leaves on the twenty-fourth.

A practice is scheduled for the friday of that week and be followed up with an exhibition game against the Dracs on Monday.
The non-football activities are extensive. They include guided tours of Barcelona and Girona, a small but historic city two hours north.

OWU men’s lacrosse ready for postseason

By Aleksei Pavloff, Sports Editor

The Ohio Wesleyan University men’s lacrosse team is facing the end of the spring season and as the NCAC championship draws near, the team is prepared.

“We’re in the conference playoffs next week and we have to take it one game at a time,” said junior goalie Alexander Pacilio.

The OWU lacrosse team currently has the second best record in the conference with only one loss to Denison University this past Sunday,12-8. The Bishops are 9-5 overall this season and received votes in for national ranking, according to ncaa.com. The tough schedule this season is something that is good for the team as a whole, Pacilio said.

“It’s a challenge but have to play these teams since iron sharpens iron,” Pacilio said.

Sophomore defensive starter Jake Worrell said, “We’ve played a lot of tough teams and been really close to beating them. It’s kind of disappointing to not get over the hump yet but it …  motivates myself and my teammates.”

Two teams that were the most demanding was Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and Salsbury, Pacilio said. Both teams are currently in the top 5 rankings, according to ncaa.com. The Bishops lost to RIT 12-11, which was the start for freshman Joey Sichenzia. They also lost to Salisbury 10-6 but there are good things to come out of those games.

“Playing RIT the first game was an exciting experience,” said Worrell. “I know that if we got a shot at either of those teams we could pull a victory. We are a different team now and have gone through so much and we have learned so much and I would love to play either team again.”

The team’s expectations before the season started was to win the NCAC championship, said Worrell. He said he believes that they will see Denison in the championship game.

“Getting another chance to beat Denison is great,” Worrell said. He added that the team has struggled in the past against them but they are committed to correcting past mistakes and executing on their goals. The last scheduled game against the rival was a shootout which Denison came back from a six point deficit.

The post season is fast approaching and Worrell said he thinks that the team has the ability to win big.

“Winning the NCAC is very achievable,” Worrell said. “We have to finish up strong in the regular season first and beat Wooster to secure the second spot and then win our first round game.”

The Bishops have one more game against Wooster April 22. The team has tallied over 190 goals and average about 42.9 shots on opponents goal. The team also is strong in faceoffs winning 206 while losing 137.

Wooster is the Bishop’s last regular season opponent. The last time these two teams met, OWU won 22-6. But the team needs to stay on track, according to Pacilio.  

“We have a lot of close games with a bunch of teams in our conference, but we believe if we play OWU lacrosse, it doesn’t matter how other teams play because we dictate our destiny,” Worrell said.

Hollywood diversifies

By Madison Williams, Transcript Correspondent

It’s mighty morphin’ time.

Reminiscent of a classic action movie, Power Rangers embraces the nostalgia of the stereotypical superhero plot, while also breaking down walls and destroying barriers.

Originating from a television series started in 1993, the new Power Rangers reboot released this March, features a racially diverse cast, including a character on the Autism spectrum and another who is questioning her sexuality.

The reboot has gained widespread attention for its prominent inclusivity, and attention to diversity. Its representation of minorities in mainstream media is an essential yet often ignored notion.

“We stuck to the original concept of having a very diversi ed cast. I don’t think a lot of movies take that kind of risk of having a maybe gay character as a super-hero and an autistic kid as a superhero,” said Power Rangers creator Haim Saban in an interview with CNN.

In the Power Rangers movie, the rangers are not de ned by their differences such as being on the autism spectrum and questioning one’s sexuality. Instead, they exist as multi-dimensional superheroes, capable of being strong yet vulnerable, in a sense human and relatable.

“Movies like Power Rangers are so important for representing queer people and neurodiversity,” said freshman Brandon Meyer, who is also a member of the Pride Club. “As long as the representation is done well and is good representation, it will actually be noticed by a large portion of people.”

Seeing inclusion in the mainstream media puts forth an idea that it is acceptable to differ from what is deemed traditionally, socially, and culturally acceptable in our society.

This message is one that can and should be reflected in all aspects of our culture, and used to inform the public in how they should positively contribute to acceptance and inclusion.

On a campus that is “committed to providing a supportive and richly diverse culture on our campus,” according to Ohio Weslyean’s website, it is imperative that the school continues to learn and grow from the messages of inclusivity depicted in mainstream media, and movies like Power Rangers.

“Diversity, to me, means having many different types of people. We have made strides there. The key is inclusion so that not only are all included but all are represented. That, though, is harder to achieve,” said Professor Bob Gitter, a Joseph A. Meek professor of economics.

Improv troupe will perform last show for year

By Orion Wright, Transcript Correspondent

When you take your seat at a Babbling Bishops show, the lights are down and the curtains drawn but the crowd is already laughing.

“They’re really funny,” sophomore Jack Bouman said. Before the Babblers cracks a joke, the audience is already giggling from memories of past performances and the anticipation of the gags to come, according to Bouman.

The Babblers are nearing the end of their performance season as the semester draws to a close. They have a practice every week and shows throughout the semester. They are currently approaching their nal performance of the academic year, and for multiple senior Babblers, their last performance at Ohio Wesleyan.

“[Improv is] an unscripted play . . . you have to put yourself in a situation without any prompting. The best way to describe it is adult make believe,” senior Babbling Bishop Hayden Knisley said.

The Babblers agree that everyone does improv for different reasons. Dane Poppe, another senior member of the troupe, finds improv to be a valuable tool for emotional release. “You . . . bring everything in with you. What you’re going through becomes part of your improv,” Poppe said. “It’s good for my mental health.”

Knisley agrees. “I put a lot of myself into what I do. [Improv] lets you exaggerate and personify your emotions,” Knisley said. For him, fully embracing one aspect or emotion can help to understand what it means and how to deal with it.

Personal therapy isn’t the only reason to do improv comedy, however. “I just want to make people laugh,” Knisely said.

But what is improv really, besides adult make-believe? “In improv, the art comes from the conglomeration of your ideas and everyone else’s, in a big mess,” Poppe said. “I enjoy the chance to make art on the spot and . . . make new things with other performers.” In other words, the opportunity for collaboration in performance is what sets improv apart.

Every Babbler has their own favorite memory of a performance – a sketch they pulled off that rises above the rank and file for them. Poppe recalled a scene-within-a-scene, described by Knisely as “very inventive,” in which they played merchants in a mall peddling ant farms.

“All of the other scenes took place in the ant farms. Whenever we thought there might be a lull in the scene, we would just shake the ant farms and they would have an earthquake.”

The Babblers hope to shake things up at their nal per- formance of the semester on Thursday, April 20 at 9:15 p.m. in Milligan Hub There will also be food trucks and a magician in the Stuy pa.rking lot from 7:30-9:00 p.m.

Seniors sell art at museum

By Alanna Henderson, Managing Editor

Going once, going twice, sold. With only four days since the opening of the senior art show, 13 pieces have been sold out of 169 total displayed.

The spring senior art exhibit is on full display at the Ross Art Museum until May 13.

The 2017 theme is refraction, which features 13 Bachelor of Arts and Fine Arts senior majors, showcasing their best pieces of work throughout their time earning their degree.

Every senior spring art show, there is a theme or title of the show. Refraction originates from a take on the definition—about a beam of light traversing through many different mediums or mediums of varying density.

The theme is a symbolic re ection on the current graduating class and their experiences verses trying to combine everything together. The focus of the show is about the students as individual artists.

Seniors Louise Goodpasture and Wyatt Hall were the co-chairs of the senior art show. “It’s nice to gain this type of experience…” Goodpasture said. “[The show] teaches you the etiquette of selling yourself to galleries, and knowing how to act professionally and graciously with a museum.”

Goodpasture has sold a set of cups with detailing’s of birds. While not every piece on display is for sale, there are high hopes of selling almost every piece by the end of the show.

10 percent of the proceeds are donated back to the Ross Art Museum. The artist based on mediums and materials used will often determine the prices, but they can discuss the values with professors if desired.

Students will often begin thinking about what to showcase since determining the major. There is a wide variety of art currently on display and each year, the pieces in the show will vary. Some senior shows could include majority sculptures and other years, more displays of photographs. In this years art show, there are a wide variety of pieces for viewing and selling.

Senior BFA major Lexy Immerman has several pieces on display at the show in- cluding graphic work, a book layout, photographs, and metalwork.

“My pieces are unrelated… but I do want people to appreciate the design of everything,” Immerman said. “I want people to see the creative solution I applied and go, ‘Oh, that makes sense, I see why she did that, and it works.’”

Admission to the show is free and is open to Ohio Wesleyan students and the Delaware community through graduation.

“I love talking to people, and seeing how they receive my work…This was the rst opportunity any of the seniors had to truly take a look at what our class does … I was really stunned by the talent in my class,” Immerman said. “I’m proud to be graduating with them.”