Essayist John D’Agata visits campus

By Liz Hardaway, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Things got personal last week when John D’Agata came to visit.

American essayist John D’Agata held a writing salon in Sturges, as well as a reading of his work in Merrick Hall on Feb. 21.

In the evening, D’Agata read an essay from “About a Mountain.” In this essay, D’Agata explored the suicide of Levi Presley, who jumped from the Stratosphere in Las Vegas. D’Agata took creative liberties with some of the facts of the event, receiv-
ing mixed reviews and criticism from fact-checkers, including Jim Fingal, who he wrote “Lifespan of a Fact” with.

“I needed to trust that if I put in the work, and really had gotten to know [Presley] as well as I could…that I had to trust my-
self and trust the reader that they would trust me; that where I took liberties were the appropriate places, and I wasn’t tarnishing him,” said D’Agata.

Agata began his writing salon by reminding the students that attended of the literary importance of lists. He stressed their ability to reveal characters, comic and tragic elements, as well as the culture of a piece.

“[My Netflix queue] offered too much information, it told a story about me that I wasn’t comfortable being told,” said D’Agata.

He used the opening from “Bridget Jones’ Diary,” where the protagonist lists her New Year’s resolutions for what she will do and will not do. He also discussed an excerpt from Joan Didion’s “The White Album,” where

D’Agata explained that her list expressed how then-journalist Didion created a genderless armour in a male-dominated field.

“There’s a story there…some lists are both informational and poetic and literary and sometimes historical,” said D’Agata.

“[D’Agata] weaves his essay like a story,” said senior Alyssa Clark, who opened for D’Agata’s reading in Merrick Hall. “[He] turn[s] it into something familiar, and redefined my preconceived notions of what an essay entailed…a piece of art that is much more than what it originally seems.”

Known for his books “Halls of Fame”, “About a Mountain” and “The Lifespan of a Fact,” D’Agata has written six books, and is an English professor at the University of Iowa.

D’Agata is currently working on a translation of a book by ancient Greek philosopher Plutarch, as well as a new collection of his own essays.

Feminism takes the stage

By Liz Hardaway, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Religion. Sex. Mental Health. Politics.

These were all topics of discussion at Saturday night’s “Butterfly Confessions.”

Twelve women dressed in black sat in the middle of the Studio theater, standing up to read monologues from Yetta Young’s “Butterfly Confessions.” From describing how a man should treat a woman, to contracting HIV from one night of unprotection, these monologues aim to empower and reveal the daily struggles and misconceptions about women of color.

Though some laughs were present (like how easy it is for a woman to become “dick-matized”), some statistics shed light on some issues that aren’t’ typically discussed. For example, African-American women are more likely to experience chronic depression compared to the general population, according to a study conducted in 2010 by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). African-American women, also, are the least likely demographic to seek out treatment.

“[I] feel that people of color are expected to give and give and give even if they don’t have anymore to give, especially when it comes to educating white people on all topics of race…these issues that the monologues bring up are not ever really talked about in our media, education or society,” said junior Audrey Castaneda-Walker, who also did the sound for the production.

After the performance, Kat Blaque held a discussion with the audience. Blaque is a feminist, YouTuber, writer, illustrator and animator from California.

The show was organized by Sisters United, a student organization that seeks to raise awareness on issues related to multicultural women’s empowerment and community involvement.

“This is very important to put on at Ohio Wesleyan because as a majority white campus, any form of art that could bring people of color into the light and have the majority understand is something very powerful,” said senior Lauryn Carter.

The Beat: Future releases two albums in the same week

By John Bonus, Transcript Reporter

Hip-hop artist Future has put out two albums in the past week, and he might be breaking records as both soar to No. 1 on the charts.

On Feb. 17 Future released his self-titled album and it immediately shot to No. 1 with more than 100 million streams and 60,000 sales in its first week, according to Billboard.

However, Future wasn’t finished. Exactly one week later he released a second album, titled “HNDRXX”.

This album has also done extremely well in its first week and according to Hits Daily Double, it could reach the No.1 spot in its first week.

If “HNDRXX” makes it to the top, Future will make Billboard history as the first artist to release two No.1 albums in consecutive weeks.

Hitting No.1 is not a new feat for the Atlanta rapper. This is his fourth and possibly fifth time reaching the top, with other releases such as “DS2,” “Evol” and his collaborative album with Drake, “What a Time to Be Alive” topping the charts.

While the albums came out within a week of each other, Future definitely takes a different approach to each project. Future has no featured artists and definitely sticks to the melodic trap style that Future has created for himself.

“HNDRXX” has features from both Rihanna and the Weeknd. It takes on a unique style as many of the tracks are more upbeat and at times take on a much more mainstream sound. This might be a result of those artists featured on it.

Both albums take on a variety of themes. He addresses things like transitioning from a poor to wealthy lifestyle, partying, drug usage and falling in and out of love. “HNDRXX” addresses a softer side that is uncommon in a lot of Future’s music as he talks about some of the more personal problems in his life.

While it remains unknown whether both of Future’s albums will make it to No. 1 it remains certain that he is on a winning streak. The artist has continued his rise to becoming one of the most popular and influential hip-hop artists today.

Spring Break: Which side are you on?

By Evan Walsh, Chief Copy Editor and Sara Hollabaugh, Online Editor

By Evan Walsh

I can’t imagine there are too many bad ways to spend spring break. And I’ve got to admit Sara’s Spring break plans are wor-
thy of envy. But there will always be those college students among us that simply cannot get/take a break from reality. Even if the university tells you to get lost March 11 and 19.

I have been part of that Delaware Spring Break crowd for four years now, and although it’s not the most desirable option, it may be the most necessary. Spring break at OWU is carte blanche for study time. In the environs of a student-less Ohio Wesleyan I am completely distraction free.

Ahhh.

Does it bug me that I will never experience the joys of Panama City Beach? For many, it is the quintessential college experience. A true rite of passage for any undergrad. Replete with fellow co-eds enjoying the same hedonistic pleasures that our society is so fond of it would make sense that it would.

But it really doesn’t … Is something wrong with me?

I’d like to think there isn’t. I’d like to think I’m just lazy.

Organizing a Spring break trip is exhaustive and requires leadership. No thanks.

If I don’t even have enough time during the Ohio Wesleyan school week to get my work done, how the hell can you expect me to find time to waste to make plans to get wasted?

Even if I did, I can’t afford these excursions. No matter how cheap and seemingly affordable. You see, college is that special time where many young men and women are introduced to the practice of budgeting.

[This is more of a concept than an actual practice for me.] So, come late February I’m about as financially soluble as the country of Greece.

Should I ever come into possession of the requisite funds I would like to take a trip. Greece sounds pretty nice and I’ve even heard we’re financially alike.

Lastly, Spring Break destinations scare me. They seem like the perfect place for everything to go wrong- it’s “Murphy’s Law” in a bathing suit. There’s a reason no one tells their parents about their plans for Spring Break.

So if you’re sticking around for the break, don’t feel bad. Spring break isn’t for everyone.

 

By Sara Hollabaugh

 

I remember watching every reality show of the early to mid 2000s and how, when it came time for spring break, the phrase constantly repeated was “it’s spring break b**ches!”

I grew up with television, movies and advertisements campaigning the best and biggest parties of the year happening over spring break with alcohol, women in bikinis and endless fun on the beaches of Florida, Mexico and other exotic places in the Caribbean.

I would be lying if I told you that I didn’t think they looked totally fun and that I wanted to go on a quintessential spring break trip when I was younger.

However, I knew deep down I was never going to be that girl.

To be honest, I wasn’t cheeky enough in high school, and I’m really not now, either. But no matter the type of spring break I partake in, that week in mid-march is hands down one of my favorite weeks every single year.

Why? Because I grew up going to those beaches of exotic places in the Caribbean such as Dominican Republic, Aruba, Puerto Rico and Jamaica.

Let me stop you right there before your brain skips to the thought of how ridiculous that sounds. Trust me, I know.

But I was lucky enough to go on extremely amazing vacations growing up. I zip lined, climbed high ropes courses, and rode horses on the beach, all while experiencing different cultures from the local people of each place.

I not only did really fun activities, but met other kids from all over the world. I made friends from Canada, France and and different parts of the United States that I had not yet been to.

When I stayed at a resort in a foreign place, I felt like I was in my own little world and on an adventure.

While we did spend hours on the beaches, my mom never let me get away with doing nothing all day. I was encouraged to go to the kids club, urged to make new friends, pressed to try new things.

And that’s one of the most rewarding parts about my spring break experiences. I never did the drunken trip with wild concerts. I never danced in a crowd at a spring break concert with profanities shouted every second.

I didn’t do those insanely crazy things, but I turned that sense of recklessness into a sense of adventure. And I think that’s what makes spring break such an enjoyable time.

So no, you won’t find me drunk on a beach surround by thousands of people yelling “spring break b**ches,” but you will probably find me making the most of my 7 day break.

Delta Gamma’s annual philanthropy event makes a splash

By Aleksei Pavloff, Sports Editor

Greek life at Ohio Wesleyan University came together to participate in Delta Gamma’s Anchor Splash, and other drives to raise money for a philanthropic cause just last week.

Every spring semester, Delta Gamma (DG) holds Anchor Splash at the Meek Aquatic and Recreation Center. To help raise funds, the sorority also organized some small competitions during the week of Feb. 20-24

The funds raised go towards Service for Sight. According to deltagamma.org, Service for Sight is a non profit created by DG to help the visually impaired.

Alpha Sigma Phi and Delta Zeta were the winners of this year’s Anchor Splash.

“We are happy that we won,” said sophomore Andrew Alaniz who is also a member of Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity. Alaniz said that they lost a lot of points early on in the week but was pleased with how they were able to work together in the other activities.

“Seeing everyone come together for a good cause is something special to see,” said sophomore Maggie Greer. As officer of the Anchor Games Greer was responsible for organizing  the swimming events that took place on Friday.  

“It was hard at first, but with help I was able to organize and get things together,” said Greer. “It was a great experience.”

Throughout the week leading up to the swimming events, fraternities and sororities collect pennies for what DG calls “penny wars”. Pennies that are collected by specific fraternities and sororities get counted for points. According to Greer, the top three organizations that collect the most get points awarded to their house.

Then comes the banner making where fraternities and sororities compete to see who can make the best one. The banner must to be placed in the atrium in the Hamilton-Williams Campus Center no later than Thursday night.

To qualify for the banner competition, each organization’s banner must feature Delta Gamma or its iconic anchor. The fraternity or sorority that makes the best banner is awarded the most points.

Delta Gamma’s judges emphasize creativity when it comes to designing banners.

“It is really cool to see people be as creative as possible,” said Greer.

Also on Thursday, serenades for the senior members of the sorority were held.

Together, they travel to every greek house where the members of that organization have to sing to them. The songs vary from pop to old time classics. However, extra points are rewarded for those serenades that have Delta Gamma related adaptations.

Throughout the week, participants receive more points through social media shout outs. This includes mentioning DG or Anchor Splash on any of the major social media outlets such as, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Those organizations that participated in the week long activities gathered in Meek to compete in races of various kinds on Friday. One notable competition involved two team members pulling an inflatable whale. In it, a DG member rides on the whale’s back, to the opposite side of the pool where two teammates are waiting to ride it back across.

The funds raised are yet to be fully counted, but Greer approximated that they raised close to $1,000 for this year’s Anchor Splash.

 

Retired Army official warns of nuclear threats

By Liz Hardaway, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Though a nuclear bomb has not been detonated in 70 years, nuclear security still remains a strenuous and messy issue in foreign policy.

“Every nation forms their foreign policy and national security policy based on their own self-interest,” said retired Army Maj. Gen. Dennis Laich. “In the United States, I think we loose sight of this and we need to acknowledge that as we think about issues around the world.”

Laich spoke Friday about nuclear security at the second of eight sessions of the Great Decisions community series on U.S. foreign policy.

There are universal factors to foreign policy and national security, Laich said. Powerful countries have the ability to do as they please, he said, whereas weaker countries do their best to cope. For example, when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990, the world responded by using force to eject Saddam Hussein from Kuwait.

However, when Russia invaded Ukraine and took over Crimea in 2014, only sanctions were put into place and there was no military action.

Laich said nine nations, led by the United States and Russia, control thousands of nuclear warheads that can be deployed at any given moment.

“It is alarming to me that any one person on the face of the Earth can have the capability to order that these 1,830 deployed (U.S.) nuclear warheads be fired… with justification,” Laich said. “The president of the United States, whoever he or she is, makes one phone call.”

The United Kingdom and France have more than 500 nuclear warheads total, and China has 260.

“[China] relies much more exclusively on conventional arms to protect themselves, but…they have the capability to expand dramatically,” Laich said. “One of the things that China has demonstrated is their ability to… move national interests forward rapidly.”

India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea also have nuclear warheads. However, Israel officially has not acknowledged that it has the weapons. Israel is the only nuclear power in the Middle East.

“I had no idea the list [of countries with nuclear weapons] was so long, and that’s kind of scary,” said Delaware resident Michael Casto.

The only country in the world to ever use a nuclear weapon is the United States, twice during World War II.

In 2015, the five permanent members (U.S., Russia, Britain, China and France) of the U.N. Security Council, Germany and the European Union reached an agreement with Iran to suspend its nuclear programs, putting limits on centrifuges, enrichment levels, uranium stockpiles and plutonium production. Iran sent more than 90 percent of its existing uranium stockpiles to Russia for security.

“This treaty allowed us to put a troublesome nation’s nuclear program on hold for at least 10 to 15 years, without firing a shot,” said Laich.

Countries such as North Korea, Russia, India and Pakistan continue to challenge nonproliferation efforts.

Terrorist organizations, such as al-Qaida and ISIS, have been very explicit about seeking nuclear weapons, Laich said. They don’t necessarily need a nuclear warhead to do damage. A dirty bomb, which contains used nuclear fuel surrounded by dynamite, can have limited physical impact but contaminates a wide area of a populated city with nuclear material.

“I’m concerned because of the (Trump) administration and things beyond our control like nuclear terrorism,” said Lee Lybarger, a resident of Delaware.

The next topic for Great Decisions is “Saudi Arabia in Transition,” presented by Melinda McClimans, an associate director at the Middle East Studies Center at Ohio State University, and Rand Guebert, a former consultant.

Local ice cream shop welcomes back customers

By Alanna Henderson, Managing Editor

Dari Point is officially open for the season.

The locally, family owned ice cream shop is now open from mid-Feb. and closes mid-Oct. The ice cream shop opened on Feb. 15 and welcomed the warm weather.

Current storeowner Jim Ballinger worked at Dari Point for one year before buying the shop in 1999. Throughout the years, Ballinger’s three children and wife have also worked at the shop. Currently, youngest daughter, Brooke Corwin handles Dari Point’s advertising and social media accounts.

Ballinger is now going into his 18th season at Dari Point. “It’s not an easy business to run and operate. Being open everyday and for long hours makes it a difficult business to run… It’s demanding, but it’s rewarding,” Ballinger said.

Dari Point has become a tradition for many current Delaware residents. “It’s become an iconic place in Delaware. A lot of our customers are third or fourth generation customers,” Corwin said.

“We have grandparents and great-grandparents bringing in grandchildren and you can hear them say in the lobby, ‘grandma used to come here and eat ice cream when she was a little girl.’ That’s really special to us to know we have maintained that trust with our customers for them to keep coming back generation after generation,” Corwin said.  

Some customers have come from neighboring Columbus areas to as far as Texas just for Dari Point. Ballinger said there have been customers who are traveling that will make Dari Point a pit stop on their routes. “We don’t have a ton of visitors like that, but enough that makes us feel really good. Our customers are our best advertisers,” Ballinger said.

OWU junior and Delaware resident, Brooke Zinader went to Dari Point over the opening weekend. “I always remembered going to Dari Point after all my soccer games as a little girl. It was everyone’s favorite ice cream place growing up and still today is a favorite by many in the great city of Delaware,” Zinader said.

“It’s so cool to see what a huge part in the community that we play… In today’s world when things are moving so fast, and most people hide behind a screen for their social aspect, it means a lot for people to see a family running a small business that is not a commercial chain. There’s something about a small town and family run business that [makes us a] tradition and our customers know that we really care about them,” Corwin said.

The menu contains several family recipes such as the chicken noodle soup and the pork barbeque sandwich. All of the specialty ice cream flavors are made from scratch with real ingredients, for instance the peanut butter and peach flavors.

At any given time, Dari Point offers six soft serve flavors and if from the same machine, can be twisted together. The chocolate, black raspberry and blue raspberry soft serve flavors are always available, while vanilla, banana and blueberry are currently being featured.

Other possible flavors that will be offered throughout the ice cream season are lemon, peanut butter, cinnamon roll, peach, apple pie, pumpkin pie and orange pineapple.

Dari Point’s signature flavor is their blue raspberry sherbet flavor. “[Blue raspberry] picked up on it’s own. People started calling it the ‘Smurf Cone.’ When anybody orders a Smurf Cone, it gets two eyes, a marshmallow nose which started before I even bought the store,” Ballinger said.

The Smurf’s were first created as a comic in Belgian in 1958. It wasn’t until 1981 when the Smurf’s appeared on television in America. In 2011, Raja Gosnell directed The Smurf’s movie, which a live-action and computer-animated comedy and brought back the well-known characters.

OWU senior Dominick Orsini went to Dari Point for the first time as recommendation from another student. “The Smurf cone was amazingly decorated and tasted like a little bit of heaven on earth. Best cone I’ve had in years,” Orsini said.

The Papa Smurf sherbet cone is also available but includes the top of the ice cream dipped in a hard, cherry shell to create a hat, and finished off with a whipped cream beard. The Paper Smurf has become Dari Point’s number one seller.

Dari Point’s menu includes appetizers, sandwiches, soft serve ice cream cones, sundaes, over 20 milkshake flavors and more.

Like Dari Point on Facebook for the most recent updates on which flavors will be featured throughout the ice cream season.
Dari Point is located at 303 E. Winter St. – roughly a five minute drive from OWU’s main campus. The shop is open Mon. through Sat. 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. and on Sunday, 1 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Professor Goran Skosples says European finances uncertain

By Evan Walsh, Chief Copy Editor

Goran Skosples has an optimistic, but uncertain, view of the ongoing economic crisis in Europe.

An associate professor of economics at Ohio Wesleyan University, Skosples is a native of Croatia.

He paid particular attention to those ways in which international political economy, the Euro and migration have contributed to some of the region’s most pressing issues. Skosples was the first speaker in the annual Great Decisions lecture series Friday at the William Street United Methodist Church.

Skosples alluded to the sovereign debt crisis on several occasions.

He made it clear that the debt crisis is responsible for creating sovereign, localized crises that then led to the larger, international crisis. Greece, a European Union member, is one place where failed monetary policy had a crippling effect. It then had an impact on other member nations sharing similar currency.

Despite those failures, Skosples told the audience that this currency consolidation was intended to improve relations across Europe.

“It has brought a lot of positives … the idea was that the creation of the Euro was going to lead to prosperity through gains from trading which would then lead to greater European solidarity and the next steps in integration,” Skosples said.

Integration, however, seems elusive, as major European powers inspired by populist movements within their borders are questioning their commitment to that ideal.

This change in attitude has created a lot questions that have yet to be answered.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty in Europe,” he said. “We don’t know what’s going to happen with ‘Brexit’ … and the problem is that when you’ve been so deeply integrated how do you just pull out?”

The reality is we don’t know right now, according to Skosples.

Jim Klepcyk, a retired pharmacist from Powell, spoke highly of the talk.

“I thought it was excellent. He offered a lot of insight and having that international perspective has clearly helped him under-
stand those realities,” Klepcyk said.

Skosples took questions from the audience, including from retired Maj. General Dennis Laich, who will speak about nuclear security at the next Great Decision talk at noon Friday, Feb. 24.

Q&A: Recent graduate and aspiring dancer, Jeremy Griffin-Jackson, talks OWU and future plans

By Alanna Henderson, Managing Editor

Q: Tell me a little about yourself and what your years were like at Ohio Wesleyan.

A: I’m originally from the Detroit, Michigan, a recent OWU graduate as of December, and I spent my three and a half years at OWU devoting myself to my art, which is dance. I participated in the New York Arts Program and each year I participated in Orchesis, OWU’s dance company. While in New York, I worked for a company named Gibney Dance as a center intern. I handled every day operations and maintenance tasks.

Q: What’s your background with dance? How long have you been dancing and where?

A: I originally started as a self-taught hip-hop dancer and received my first formal training in postmodern dance when I arrived at OWU. My favorite dance class at OWU was Choreography and Composition I. I’ve been dancing for as long as I could walk.

Q: Who inspired you to start dancing?

A: Watching my older cousin dance growing up inspired me to explore the art form more. Then, watching music vid-
eos of Usher, Michael Jackson and Chris Brown furthered my love for the art.

Q: What is your favorite type of dance and why?

A: I enjoy Krumping because it allows me to free myself completely and extinguish any negative feelings I have at the time.

Q: What was the process of getting your own dance class offered at OWU?

A: The human, health and kinets department wanted to involve more alumni in teaching activity courses on campus, so I was approached by Wendi Kay who thought I was qualified for the position due to all of my performances and exposure on campus.

Q: Have you taught any dance classes before? What do you hope you to take away after teaching a course?

A: I have taught small lessons and composed choreography for the school’s dance company but this is my first stand-alone class. I hope to learn the most effective way to teach people movement while also spreading my love of dance to other people.

Q: What should the dancers expect to get out of this class? Do you have any goals?

A: Students who take my class should expect to have fun, learn some new dance skills and learn about working out in a healthy manner. My goal is to help people figure out alternative ways to be active and fit while teaching something I love.

Q: If you could dance with anyone, who would it be? What song?

A: If I could dance with anyone it would be Usher and we would dance to “El Chapo” by The Game ft. Skrillex. I would want to dance with Usher because our styles are similar and because I would to join his backup dancers and tour with him some day.

President’s Club to host trilogy event with Jason Barger

By Gopika Nair, Editor-in-Chief

Author, keynote speaker and leadership consultant Jason Barger will speak at Ohio Wesleyan at 8 p.m. on March 2 about his experiences as a CEO and the inspiration for his work.

The event is hosted by President’s Club and will be held in the Benes rooms in Ham-Will. The Leadership Committee created a list of potential speakers in fall 2016 and considered a diverse list of people, said sophomore Addison Stern, leadership director of the committee.

“Our quest was to engage and secure a keynote speaker who would enrich the OhioWesleyan community with impressive personal stories relating to persistence, creativity and a desire to lead through integrity, character and in the spirit of giving back,” Stern said.

Barger led more than 1,700 people to construct 125 houses internationally for families living in poverty, according to his website. In 2004, Barger was one of five people in Columbus, Ohio, to receive a Jefferson Award, a national award given to “ordinary people doing extraordinary things.”

Stern said he read about Barger’s success story in Columbus CEO, where he was recognized as a “Small Business CEO” and got in touch with him.

In addition to the talk, President’s Club will host a reception with Barger at 7 p.m. in the lower Zook Nook. The event is also a trilogy event for men who are affiliated with Greek life, said senior Lee LeBeouf, president of President’s Club.

According to Stern, a trilogy event is one where a certain percentage of Greek men from each house are expected to attend.

“[Barger] graduated from Denison, is a well respected servant leader, who is passionate about culture change, leadership development and service—definitely relatable to the Greek community and OWU community at large,” Stern said.

Stern also said the power in Barger’s message stems from the number of participants who can hear the message and spread it across campus.