Orchesis 2016 sweeps the stage

By Evan Walsh, Transcript Reporter

Orchesis, presented by Ohio Wesleyan’s department of theatre and dance, excited audiences with modern, interpretive dance choreographed and performed by students.

Three shows were presented from Nov. 11 to Nov. 13 at the Chappelear Drama Center.

The program featured eight separate acts, each of which addressed issues prevalent in today’s society. Included in these acts were issues like bullying, mental stability, body image and race.

Junior Emily Rupp, who choreographed two acts, acknowledged the emotional element of this process. But she said she was also thankful that that same emotional element has challenged her in a more holistic way.

“It’s been important for my development,” Rupp, who participated in her third Orchesis performance, said. “Not just as a dancer but as a person because it gets me out of my comfort zone.”

Rupp was not alone in her reflection. In her note, Artistic Director Rashana Smith wrote specifically about the themes present throughout.

“We are a company of individuals trying to make sense of how we fit in this world,” Smith said. “We grapple with how we can make positive changes and how we can break destructive cycles. We wonder how we can support each other as we respect and honor our differences.”

In senior Jeremy Griffin-Jackson’s original work “Measuring One’s Soul,” Griffin-Jackson read a poem aloud about his African-American heritage while other dancers joined him on stage.

Audience members were impressed that their classmates were willing to tackle conflictual topics with such grace.

Senior John Littlehale said, “Race in America is an issue that’s gotten a lot of publicity lately and it should get a lot of attention. But Jeremy [Griffin-Jackson’s] piece was special because the conversation being had was through dance … I found it awesome.”

Smith added, “True, his piece dealt with race, but it was very much from his perspective and his experience. I feel like that comes across from his words, but also in his choreography.”

Planning for the performance began prior to last summer. Auditions were held shortly after the second week of school and students met three times a week with their companies to rehearse.

Junior Sam Van Dyke also attended Sunday’s matinee. He said he was very impressed with the quality of the performance and could tell a lot of preparation was involved.

Having never attended before, Van Dyke was unsure of what to expect.

“It was very professional,” he said. “Clearly, there were a lot of talented performers but it was how they were able to work together in a team-like way that made it so engaging.”

Pres Ball celebrates 31 years

By Gopika Nair, Chief Copy Editor

Over the last 31 years, Ohio Wesleyan underwent several changes, but President’s Ball remains an unchanged, annual holiday tradition at the university.

President’s Ball is a formal dance event attended by students, faculty and staff, and is typically held the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Since the ball’s inception in 1985, the only differences are the addition of a late-night DJ and the location.

Originally, the event was held in Slocum Hall, but relocated to Schimmel-Conrades Science Center because moving the tables in Slocum to make space for the ball was inconvenient, said Nancy Rutkowski, director of student leadership and involvement at OWU.

However, many aspects of President’s Ball have stayed the same over the years.

“It has always been sponsored by the President’s Club, the Jazz Band plays, there is great food and the price has stayed the same ($5 per person) for [31] years,” Rutkowski said.

The ball was created at the suggestion of then sophomore Gay Grossman ’88. Former OWU President David Warren wanted a spirited, holiday event, so he encouraged the idea, Rutkowski said.  

In 1985, Grossman planned the first President’s Ball and eventually married her date, Steve Grossman ’87, according to the OWU website. Now, the gala is organized by the President’s Club and features a cocktail hour for the senior class.

The ball’s directors choose the theme every year in conjunction with the committee and the President’s Club, Rutkowksi said. One of the themes she said she liked best was “Celebrate Colorfully.”

“Everyone was encouraged to wear bright colors and it turned out great,” Rutkowski said.

The theme for the 2016 President’s Ball is “Take Flight for the Night” and will be held from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 in the atrium of the Schimmel-Conrades Science Center. The event will feature music provided by DJ Matt Ryan and OWU’s Park Avenue Jazz Band.

President Rock Jones said he and his wife Melissa enjoy attending the ball every year and appreciate the work put forth by the President’s Club who planned the event.

“We enjoy the cocktail reception with seniors prior to the ball, the music of the Park Avenue Jazz Ensemble, the dancing of students alongside emeriti faculty and staff and the enormous energy and holiday spirit that fills the hall,” Jones said. “President’s Ball is a special OWU tradition that attracts a large portion of the OWU family. We are looking forward to Saturday evening.”

Post-election result raises questions

By Shamayeta Rahman, Transcript Reporter

ELECTION IS OVER: NOW WHAT?

On Nov.8, Donald J. Trump won the election with 290 electoral votes. A lot has happened in the one month since the controversial election. Here’s the breakdown of the few major issues:

Protests spread in large cities countrywide

Mass protests spread across cities like Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, Chicago and more, drawing in thousands. Even in states that voted Republican saw protests in metropolitans like Dallas, Kansas City, Omaha, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Tampa and more. Most protesters gathered in front of Trump Towers or government offices.

People were initially peacefully protesting under the rallying cry “Not my president!” When things did get violent in some of the cities, tear gas, pepper sprays and flash-bang devices were used to subdue and disperse the crowd.

There were about a hundred arrests nationwide on the first day, with 65 in New York City.

In Portland, Oregon, when the protests turned violent on the third day, the local police categorized it as a riot and arrested 26 people for vandalism. In Oakland, California, three police officers were injured. Vandalism was widespread in some cities, and many burned effigies of Trump and the American flag in protest.

Initially, Trump condemned such behavior on Twitter by saying, “Professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!”

When reminded of the First Amendment and the right to peacefully assemble, he changed his mind two days later and posted, “Love the fact that the small groups of protesters last night have passion for our great country. We will all come together and be proud!”

Petitions

A petition on change.org requesting the electors to vote for Hillary Clinton has almost 4.7 million signatures as of now. Clinton won the popular vote by more than 2 million votes.

Petitions on change.org usually require 100,000 signatures within 30 days to get a response from the officials. Daniel Brezenoff of North Carolina started the petition the day after the election, and  itwas addressed to the electoral college.

The electoral college, with its 538 electorates, will be voting on Dec. 19. In 24 states, electors are bound legally to vote for the chosen party in their area and are fined if they do not follow. However, in 14 states (with close to 149 electors) there are no rules against it. The petition cites Alexander Hamilton and how he spoke of the electoral college as a balancing scale that would help to put someone who is not only popular but also fit to serve as president.

Part of the petition letter said:

“Casting your ballot for [Clinton] preserves majority rule – the “sense of the people” – and prevents the most unqualified candidate in history from taking office. Never in our Republic’s 240 years has our president had no previous experience in an office of public trust, be it elected or appointed, civilian or military. Never has a president admitted to sexual assaults. Never has a president encouraged violence at campaign events.”

While the Constitution does not say anything specifically on this point, which technically makes it legal, there have rarely been faithless electors, especially enough to turn the election.

Three electors have already come out saying that they will not be voting for Trump and that they would prefer a more experienced Republican candidate instead.

If neither of the candidates reach the 270 vote mark on Dec. 19, the House of Representatives will decide who the president will be. Considering the current House is Republican, this should play in Trump’s favor.

Recounts in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan

Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who won 1 percent of the national vote, started a fundraiser trying to raise $7 million to pay the legal costs and recount fees for the states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan. They have raised $6.1 million of their goal.

The costs are outlined as $1.1 million for Wisconsin,  $0.5 million for Pennsylvania and $0.6 million for Michigan and about $2-3 million in attorney fees. As of now, they met their funding goals for Wisconsin and Pennsylvania and the petition is already in for the two states.

Clinton is 70,000 votes behind in Pennsylvania, about 20,000 votes behind in Wisconsin and 11,000 votes behind in Michigan. The recount initiative was taken up by the Green Party when rumors of hacking and voter fraud began.

Meeting with President Obama

Trump met with President Barack Obama at the White House Nov. 10. They had an hour-long meeting that Obama described as an “excellent and wide-ranging” conversation.

Despite the impolite things they’ve said about each other before the election, both men seemed pleased with the outcome of the meeting.

“My number one priority in the coming two months is to try to facilitate a transition that ensures our president-elect is successful,” Obama said.

Trump said, “I have great respect. The meeting lasted for almost an hour and a half, and it could’ve, as far as I’m concerned, it could’ve gone on for a lot longer.”

Melania Trump also met with First Lady Michelle Obama that day. Vice President-elect Mike Pence and Trump also met House Speaker Paul Ryan the same day.

Policies

There have been a lot of backtracking in terms of what Trump had promised before the election.

One of the main issues he intended to tackle on the first day of office was repealing ObamaCare, but he has now said that considering the expenses and feasibility of it, a reform might be much better suited.

On immigration and the famed “wall” that was promised to be paid by Mexico, Trump has only spoken about how it might be a “fence” in some parts to reduce the cost, but didn’t address whether the Mexican government will be funding it or not.

He has still been very outspoken about the deportation of millions of illegal immigrants, but is citing smaller numbers now.

Additionally, he has also taken down the anti-abortion messages from his website, and in his 60 Minutes interview said that gay marriages will remain legal as it is now the law of the land. These were both things that he had been very vocal about changing before the election.

As for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), despite Trump’s threats of leaving Europe to be, Obama has assured Europeans leaders that Trump will not be moving away from the commitment to NATO, saying he has spoken to the president-elect about it.

He has also said he will not be proceeding with the trials against Clinton and her email server case.

Cabinet

Hailed as a “knife fight,” Trump picking his cabinet has been a point of controversy throughout the last month. But the trends in his choices indicate he is rewarding people who have been loyal to him from the beginning.

His current choices are:

Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions has been nominated for attorney general. Sessions, who has been an outspoken Trump supporter from the beginning, previously failed to become a federal judge when he was deemed too controversial for the position.

Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney are currently the top runners for the position of secretary of state.

Giuliani’s nomination would be a lot more controversial due to his links with an Iranian group deemed to be terrorists by the Department of State. Romney had previously voiced his disdain for Trump, but Trump is still considering him for the role.

Mike Pompeo has been selected as the CIA director. Retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn has been named as the national security adviser.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus might possibly be given the role of chief of staff and campaign executive.

Steve Bannon, the editor of Breitbart, is getting the role of senior adviser or chief strategist. Bannon’s nomination has been riddled with a lot of controversy especially due to his anti-Semitic and occasionally racist comments. Newt Gingrich is also one of the contenders for a cabinet position.

Betsy DeVos has been nominated as Secretary of Education; she has been a top campaign donor and a school choice activist. Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina has been named the ambassador to the United Nations and Ben Carson has been named the secretary of housing and urban development.

Students and faculty voice fears about election results

By Liz Hardaway, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Just 48 hours after the election results were unveiled, Ohio Wesleyan held an open discussion among students and faculty to review the historic night.

In the second floor lounge of Smith Hall, around 40 people gathered, including staff from the Chaplain’s Office, six alumni and Jenny Holland, an assistant professor of politics and government. Sally Leber, the director of service learning, facilitated the discussion.

The night started with an introduction from Rock Jones, who celebrated how diverse the campus community is, which, in turn, provides a wide range of perspectives concerning different issues.

“We come here to learn with one another and to learn from one another,” Jones said.

Leber opened up the floor by asking attendees why that had come to the discussion. Many students voiced their fears and anger toward Donald Trump, president-elect, especially with many of the comments he made during his campaign trail.

Holland commented that this year’s election has been one of the most contentious elections in the modern era. With the polls mainly pointing to Clinton, many people felt shocked at the outcome.

Associate Chaplain Chad Johns discussed the term “othering,” or defining someone as “not like us,” either by cultural or personal factors. In the election cycle, Johns explained the liberals made the mistake of ‘othering’ many people in rural and working-class America.

“There was this assumption that no American could support Trump,” Johns said. “So we de-Americanized a whole swath of the population … we have two segments of our nation where we all claim the title ‘American’ that have ‘othered’ each other.”

Students mainly expressed fears concerning social issues, especially with the LGBT, Latino and Muslim communities. Even nationally, there was a record-breaking 300 calls made to the crisis hotline Trans Lifeline 24 hours after the election results, according to a statement made on its Facebook page.

There was also uncertainty among the group, one student even asking Holland what to expect to happen in the next four years with the new president-elect. Holland encouraged students to get involved, especially at the local level.

“Community is messy,” Leber said. “Community has problems, it has people coming from all different viewpoints and community works when people listen.”

With many heavy topics discussed, Jones ended the event on a lighter note, asking students to voice what they are hopeful for.

International students talk turkey

By Shamayeta Rahman, Transcript Reporter

To most Ohio Wesleyan students, Thanksgiving is a time for turkey and time together with the family.

However, those who are thousands of miles away from home are often left to spend this American tradition on an empty campus.

Most international students and some domestic students who live far away choose to stay on campus during Thanksgiving break, finding the long journey too unfeasible for such a short trip.

Although there are programs that set up these students with local families who welcome them into their homes for Thanksgiving Day dinner, most are left to celebrate on their own or with fellow peers who are staying behind.

Residential Life charges $27 per night for anyone choosing to stay behind over break.

Despite the extra cost, there are no on-campus food options available during the break, so these students often have to eat outside or cook for themselves during this time, making it even more expensive to stay behind over break even if they have no other options.

“It is OK for the most part, except on Thanksgiving Day when everything is closed,” said senior Urvija Rishi, an Indian international student who stayed behind for break.

Senior Kyul-El-Lee, a Korean international student, agreed to having the same problem, but spoke about how
he went to a Korean Church nearby on Thanksgiving Day.

The church usually hosts meals open for everyone, and Lee said he really appreciated the combination of traditional American and Korean food they served there.

“It is really nice that they host these events for the community; it really helps us to feel a lot more at home when [nobody is] around,” Lee said. Hamburger Inn also serves a free Thanksgiving meal for the community along with a few other churches in the city.

Unlike Lee, Rishi spent her Thanksgiving cooking cuisines from her own culture using the time and opportunity that the break provides to make it a more personalized holiday experience.

“Even though we don’t celebrate it back in India, Thanksgiving makes me homesick seeing everyone back with their families,” Rishi said.

“I cooked butter chicken and biriyani to recreate that feeling of home even though I was in my residence hall.”

Attack occurs at OSU campus

By Areena Arora, Managing Editor

On Monday, Nov. 28, an Ohio State student carried out a knife attack, injuring 11 people before being taken down by the police.

Before the attack, Abdul Razak Ali Artan rammed into a group of people in a car. The injured include at least one faculty member, one staff member and seven students, according to OSU’s student newspaper The Lantern.

Artan was an 18-year-old Somali refugee, a third-year Logistics Management student. OSU police officer Alan Horujko tackled and shot him.

According to The Columbus Dispatch and The Lantern, the Islamic State (ISIS) claimed Tuesday, Nov. 29 that the attacker Artan was inspired by the organization.

ISIS said, according to a tweet posted by Jenan Moussa, a reporter at Arabic Al Aan TV, “ISIS takes credit for Ohio University attack. Says attacker was soldier of the Islamic State.”

Investigators are still looking into the motive of the attack to determine if the attack was related to terrorism. According to a CNN article published on the day of the incident, the attacker Artan had posted on his Facebook acccount that he was “sick and tired of seeing fellow Muslims killed and tortured,” according to federal law enforcement officials.

According to OSU’s Department of Public Safety, the initial emergency alert notification was sent out to students, faculty and staff at 9:54 a.m. The next alert, sent out just two minutes later, said “Buckeye Alert: Active shooter on campus. Run Hide Fight. Watts Hall. 19th and College.”

At 12:21 p.m., another alert was sent out saying that a suspect had been shot and reported dead.

In a campus-wide email sent out by OSU president Michael Drake, he said, “Days such as these test our spirit as Buckeyes — but together we remain unified in the face of adversity.”

At a press conference later that evening, Ohio’s Gov. John Kasich said, “When you think about the students, the parents, many of whom were texting and Snapchatting their kids — it’s remarkable what these first responders did … There would be a lesson for all across America and all the campuses across America about what you do when things like this happen.”

In a story published in The Lantern on Aug. 25, Artan is quoted to have said that after he recently transferred from Columbus State Community College, he was scared of his identity as a Muslim on OSU’s campus.

Artan said, “We had prayer rooms, like actual rooms where we could go to pray because we Muslims have to pray five times a day … [OSU’s campus] is huge and I don’t even know where to pray … I wanted to pray in the open, but I was kind of scared with everything going on in the media … If people look at a Muslim praying, I don’t know what they’re going to think.”

A vigil was held Tuesday evening at St. John’s Arena, according to The Lantern. “Members of the OSU marching band and the OSU music group CELLOHIO performed at the event,” according to The Lantern.

Before college: forever alone, after college: forever a loan

By Areena Arora, Managing Editor

Congratulations! You just graduated with an average student debt more than it has ever been in the history of college education, even when adjusted for inflation.

The debate is not new. For more than two decades now, students and scholars have wondered if a college degree really is worth it. College debt is not just a burden to the student, but is essentially family debt and one that makes you question your choices every day, every minute.

In my case, as an international student, I am paying a higher amount than my American classmates (and under- standably so). On top of that, the exchange rate makes the cost nearly 65 times more, and with an interest rate of 14 percent, I will graduate college with double majors in economics and journalism and a debt of $126,748 – sounds exciting, I know.

In 1993, the average student loan debt per borrower was a little under $10,000, and just 12 years later, by 2005 it was crossing $20,000, nally reaching anywhere between $30,000-35,000 that it is today.

There’s another catch here. While some majors are more promising from a career stance, some are not as lucrative. The disparity is such that a petroleum engineering major is likely to earn a median wage of $93,000 more than that of an elementary school teacher.

As much as we hate to admit it, there really isn’t enough money in some of our favourite creative elds.

As a journalism major with a bachelor’s degree, the median annual salary I am destined to is $56,000, which does sound reasonably sustainable enough. But if it were not for my scholarship and aid, this is also exactly the amount I would have been paying annually to get my degree.

Average debt of a 2014 Ohio Wesleyan graduate was $28,500, compared to the national average of $33,000. Sound relieving?

Student debt has forced many of my friends to drop out or transfer to a community college. It requires emotional and nancial strength to survive in this crippling time, where available jobs on campus offer only minimum wage and even the future average prospective earnings are statistically not high numbers.

Solutions are simple, but socialist; perhaps not the most desirable term for this country. However, like Brazil and Germany, in the ideal world, all countries should have free higher education, at least in public universities. Granted, the amount of taxes we pay, this could be one use of our tax money every citizen would actually be appreciative of.

Tuition freeze is also an effective solution. Idea is to pay the same amount that you agree to pay as a freshman. So in your subsequent years at college, even if tuition rises, you will be paying the same amount that you paid your first year.

If not anything else, this will prevent unexpected (but really, expected) frustrations and sessions of serious reconsideration of your very decision to get educated.

All of us begin college with goals of traveling the world, or buying that expensive car or just saving up to retire early, but most of us end up paying our college debt for much of our career.

So saddening the condition is that USA Today called student debt America’s next big crisis.

Ideally, education is so noble a goal we should not be measuring it against material/evil money.

Reality however is captured in this YikYak post from Weber State University, “Before College: Forever alone. After College: Forever a Loan.”

How to get away with not doing homework

By Gopika Nair, Chief Copy Editor

Sometimes students catch a cold and have to miss class. Sometimes they don’t hand in assignments because of a spontaneous printer malfunction. And sometimes, students just can’t attend required events because they’re behind bars.

Bonnie Gardner, former professor of theatre at Ohio Wesleyan University, said a student told her he couldn’t attend a performance because he was serving time in jail all weekend.

Though surprising, the excuse was true. The student received a traffic ticket and was required to serve jail time. Since he was an OWU student, the judge let him do his time during the weekends so his grades wouldn’t suffer.

“He was a decent student,” Gardner said. “He was very straight with me and gave me all the details, so I had no reason not to believe him.”

Other outlandish excuses have also proven legitimate. Carol Neuman de Vegvar, a ne arts professor, said a student approached her holding a damp, damaged paper with tooth marks.

“The dog really did eat it,” the student said, sounding sad, according to Neuman de Vegvar.

She said she believed the story because she trusted the student.

Some professors received excuses that were more vivid than needed. John Stone-Mediatore, a lecturer in the department of comparative literature, said one student told him he couldn’t make it to class because he had a bad case of explosive diarrhea.

“I just couldn’t believe that a student was giving me that information,” Stone said. “But on the other hand, assuming that it was honestwhich I don’t always assumeI appreciated the student’s honesty.”

Another student told Stone he had to miss class because he had been arrested for underage drinking in public and had to go to court.

Conversely, Erin Flynn, associate philosophy professor, said he once sent a drunk student home from a morning class. One of the oddest excuses Flynn received involved a student who went home, which was out-of-state, because her dog had died, he said.

“This was like a mixture of  ‘my grandmother died’ and ‘my dog ate my homework,’” Flynn said.

Technology seems to be a culprit for many missed classes and assignments.

Joe Musser, professor emeritus of English, said he has not been skeptical of such excuses, given his own problems with technology.

But Elane Denny-Todd, a theatre professor, said most of her students tend to rely on technological-related excuses, such as an inkless printer or crashed computer.

“It’s as if students know that there is a set vocabulary for selling excuses,” she said in an email.

Some students are more creative than others and have provided outrageous excuses to earn a better grade. Bob Gitter, an economics professor, said a student from Libya had received a C plus in one of his classes.

He told Gitter that if he didn’t get a B minus, he would lose his scholarship and get deported to Libya, where the followers of Muammar Gadda , former “Revolutionary Chairman and Brotherly Leader” of Libya, would kill him.

“It was the only time in 40 years at OWU I changed a grade that was not due to a clerical error,” Gitter said.

Students make excuses that are believable, shocking and unoriginal. But after many years teaching, the excuses are often professors’ favorite stories to tell.

Interfaith House celebrates early Thanksgiving

By Liz Hardaway, Arts & Entertainment Editor

On Nov. 16, the Interfaith House (IF) hosted an open-table discussion about what people are thankful for.

Sophomore Anna Davies facilitated this discussion for her house project to encourage people to join together before the break and spread her house message, which is to spread interfaith, cooperation, love and tolerance.

The event brought together people of both faith based and non-faith based backgrounds to express to each other how thankful they are.

“I really wanted it to be a time to pause with how busy it is this time of year and just reflect on things that make us happy to be alive,” Davies said.

Coming from a religious background and a small-town setting, Davies aimed to make the event simple and easy for people to discuss how thankful they are without angling the discussion towards religious aspects.

One attendee, senior Olivia Lease, said her favorite part of the event was interacting with new people. The local Mormon Missionaries attended, as well, adding more viewpoints to the discussion.

The discussion started out with the basic question of what people were thankful for. People also discussed a specific moment in their life that solidified that thankfulness and also the importance of community in their lives.

Attendees also considered the various ways people express gratitude, whether it being through letters or hugs. Each one is a unique moment of sincerity in it’s own form, said Lease.

“We get caught up in things that frustrate us and things that are momentarily stressful, but in the long term there are so many things we are thankful for,” Lease said.

Economic Outlook conference held

By Tung Nguyen, Transcript Correspondent

International economies were dull and dry in the last decade and will be prolonged by Donald Trump in the next few years.

Ian Sheldon, a visiting professor from the Ohio State University, presented his thoughts to Ohio Wesleyan University students and faculty in the Benes room in Hamilton-Williams Campus Center Nov. 15.

“Things are getting better at a slow pace,” Sheldon said.

 

The U.S., along with Japan and the United Kingdom, will face minimal growths of less than 2 percent in 2017, predicted by the Sputnik News.

On the other hand, Sheldon showed that the economic growths among developing countries are positively forecasted. Both China and India, with the corresponding 6.2 percent and 7.5 percent economic growths, are the new world’s potential challengers.

“Besides, Brazil and Russia will bounce back from the long-term economic recession,” Sheldon said.

Mark Schweitzer, a speaker from the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, agreed with Sheldon that on a large scale, the world economies will slightly improve.

However, both Sheldon and Schweitzer emphasized the downfall on the microeconomics scale. They predicted that the unemployment rates will be higher than the pre-crisis levels.

“The United Kingdom, especially after Brexit, will suffer signi cantly from the currency depreciation,” Sheldon said.

Along with the domestic struggles, the international trade system will also be affected by political changes.

“Trump will end the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and, as a result, pull down the economy’s growths of not only the United States, but also the other 10 members,” Schweitzer said.

Bob Gitter, an economics professor from OWU, said that by killing TPP, Trump will increase the unemployment rate and market prices.

Furthermore, Sheldon said that president-elect Trump will put a 35 percent tariff on Mexico and 45 percent tariff on China.

“No more cheap labors and no more cheap products,” Sheldon said. “With the economy’s recession, the United States’ citizens will be slightly in troubles.”

Bill Lafayette, another speaker from Regionomics Inc., showed that the central area of Ohio’s economy still remain stable in spite of the recession.

“The area’s population is gradually increasing and luckily, so is the employment rate,” he said.

Gitter said, “The world economies is facing significant changes but it is better than staying stagnate.”