Hindu festival of lights celebrated

By Reilly Wright, Transcript Correspondant

Laughter, dancing and savory Indian food were common themes in the Benes Rooms on Nov. 13 as Ohio Wesleyan University celebrated Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.

Diwali is one of the largest ancient annual Hindu traditions covering South Asia, celebrating the victory of light over darkness by decorating homes with lights, candles and reworks.

The annual celebration was hosted by Sangam, a student organization that represents and celebrates South Asian culture through cultural events and activities at OWU.

This year’s Diwali had a turnout of about 80 people and has been celebrated for over six years by the OWU community.

“We were told by some people, that have been coming for some time, that this year was better than it had been in the past,” said sophomore Anna Pakrasi, the president of Sangam. “I think the way that we changed it up and made it shorter really helped us.”

Prabh Virk, an OWU alumna that was involved in Diwali, said “Diwali is one of those events that really brings the whole campus together. It’s a chance for the OWU community to experience a new culture. Every year Diwali grows as each group of Sangam leaders add their own are to the event.”

The night began with the history and signi cance of Diwali by Pakrasi and Sangam treasurer Areena Arora. Chaplain Jon Powers also spoke about nding one’s peace and OWU with other cultures.

“I thought it was a really fun night and also really meaningful,” said freshman Sarah Gielink. “They talked about the whole meaning of the holiday and I think that’s really important to make everyone aware of traditions.”

Sangam members led guests to a communal prayer termed puja around a table with Hindu decorations and lift a plate of burning incenses. Traditional Hindu sweets were given to enjoy while people watched and participated.

Desi music, a broad form of South Asian music, pounded through the room as many guests and Sangam members danced together to the upbeat songs and movements.

“I think it’s great that [cultures] are celebrated here,” Gielink said. “I just appreciate that it’s something that is so alive on campus.”

The festival had free Indian food for attendees to eat and enjoy, while Sangam urged guests to take home leftovers afterward. The night ended with the JAYwalk lit up not only by the moon, but the Diwali crowd playing with sparklers.

“Diwali celebrations were a huge part of my OWU experience and I’m glad that current students are able to continue the tradition and community,” Virk said.

 

WCSA Today: Revote

By Gopika Nair, Chief Copy Editor and Liz Hardaway, Arts & Entertainment Editor

The Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA) is holding a rerun of its senator election due to lack of voter turnout Friday, Dec. 2.

WCSA is also funding a “Final Lap” for seniors, inviting the entire Ohio Wesleyan community to Fraternity Hill one last time before graduation.

The council suggested food trucks and drinks alongside the local professor band “Stolen Fire” to play live music. A DJ could also be in attendance and President Rock Jones will give a speech to pass this new- found tradition from one class to the next.

“We need to foster this sense of community … come together [and] celebrate one nal time before we say our goodbyes,” said senior Shashank Sharma.

Members were concerned that after funding around $18,000 for the event that students wouldn’t show up.

“I don’t believe good traditions come from great funding,” said senior and former Class of 2017 representative Andrew Stock.

Elections were held Nov. 11 for executive positions. Voter turnout increased from 7.4 percent to 29.6 percent from last year.

SLUs have also gained access to the student activity fund.

Legal marijuana is growing in business

The fifth annual Marijuana Business Conference and Expo kicked off Nov. 16 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over 7,500 cannabis industry leaders gathered together to network and learn from one another.

This conference allows for the entire marijuana business ecosystem to be under one roof for a span of three days. Even though the conference is currently sold out, one Ohio Wesleyan University professor was able to snag an open spot.

Since 2015, Justin Breidenbach, assistant professor of accounting, has traveled to leading marijuana growers, producers and retailers across the country in hopes to develop an understanding of the industry from seed to sale.

“My hope is that I can provide information mation from a non-biased and academic approach to better understand the industry and how it is serving stakeholders from an accounting and business view.” Breidenbach said.

Similar to a traditional business, the marijuana industry requires detailed records of products from seed to sale. According to Northwest Cannabis Solutions, the largest recreational marijuana producer/processor in Washington, every seed is barcoded throughout the production process.

As of Nov 8. in the U.S., eight states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana, 21 states have legalized the medical use of marijuana and 15 states have legalized limited medical use of marijuana.

As popular as this industry has become, many hindrances still stand in the way of interested parties that want to join the market.

One major issue people have when trying to join the legal marijuana industry is start up capital. Breidenbach pointed out that cash is king in this business due to the fact that banks do not accept money from the marijuana industry because it is federally illegal. This makes it very difficult for interested parties to get loans as well as insurance.

Another issue is that startup costs for a business in the marijuana industry is around four times higher than a traditional business. Breidenbach explained how high startup costs lead to the higher costs of the product in order for the producers to make a profit.

Although pricing is based on market value like a traditional product, the cost of these products are in ated from the very start as a result of high startup costs.

“The market has a lot of room to grow,” Breidenbach said. As the industry continues to expand, producers and lawmakers alike will find that balance in which the government can control and tax the product while still allowing the producers to be pro table.

Breidenbach is one of the leading academics doing research on this topic in the hopes to gain an understanding of the industry.

“Research on this industry is very hard to nd,” Breidenbach said. This is solely due to the fact that the legal marijuana industry itself is so new.

WCSA 2017-18 leaders appointed

By Anna Davies, Transcript Reporter

Junior Christopher Dobeck and sophomore Michael Sheetz will be the 2017 Wesleyan Council of Student Affairs (WCSA) president and vice president respectively.

Dobeck said his main concern is wisely spending the WCSA budget in ways that will improve student life and happiness. He also said improving transparency between students and administration is crucial.

Sheetz and Dobeck said they want to make WCSA more accessible to the OWU community. “I would like to have a monthly letter in The Transcript from WCSA to the students. I’d also like to do ‘reside chats’ on the Facebook page,” Dobeck said.

Dobeck also said he wants to create an archive of current and past WCSA records. “Any self-respecting institution should have a record system for itself and to keep its heritage alive,” he said.

He also mentioned wanting to create a student film festival sponsored by WCSA. “We’d show student-made films as a celebration of OWU artistry,” he said.

Sheetz, who has worked with Dobeck on bills for WCSA, said, “(Chris) has an amazing ability to keep a group going and keep a group cohesive, where my skill set lies more in getting specific projects done.”

“I am most excited about having a voice at the highest portion of our school’s administration,” Sheetz said about his new position. “I firmly believe that every student has a right to know what the administration’s thoughts and feelings are on any part of the school that they so wish.”

Sheetz said he wants to work with the Provost to make an easier system for student feedback. “The most important thing in my eyes is open communication and students being able to voice their complaints in a safe environment,” he said.

Sheetz said he also wants to include Greek Life and Small Living Unit (SLU) communities in the WCSA budget, improve campus sustainability and continue campus inclusivity.

Dobeck previously served a year as a senator for WCSA’s Administration Policy Committee (APC). Sheetz first met current WCSA vice president Sam Schurer through the men’s ultimate frisbee team and joined the Student Life Committee after learning more about WCSA from Schurer.

Dobeck said he started thinking about running two months before the elections. Sheetz reached out to him and said he wanted to join the campaign. The two will hold their positions for a year.

Dobeck said he values Sheetz’s professional attitude. “He had experience other people didn’t,” he said.

Other candidates that ran include Robert Gossett for president and Brad Marcotte for vice president and Armando Polizzi for president and Adriana Rodriguez for vice president.

Outgoing President Jess Choate and Vice President Sam Schurer spent much of their term working to increase representation of minorities on campus. Out of that came the Student Inclusion Advocacy Committee (SIAC). WCSA of officers that sit in on the SIAC Committee are elected directly onto WCSA to be on this committee. The students elected to this committee include: Ryan Bishop, Jason Perry, Cindy Huynh, Ahmed Hamed, Cara Harris, Spencer Zhang and Marisa Grillo.

Elections were held on Nov. 11. The new of officers will begin their terms at the start of the spring semester.

Obama exits tech-savvy term

By Sara Hollabaugh, Online Editor

Barack Obama is and was a technologically savvy president.

Recently appearing on the Snapchat political show “Good Luck America,” Peter Hamby had a series of interview segments with the president.

Talking about social media, Hamby said, “Obama really gets it.”

During the interview, Obama said how he wasn’t always up-to-date with technology.

“Look, when I ran for president in 2008, it wasn’t like I was up to speed on every aspect of what was then the really early stage of social media,” Obama said on Snapchat. “But I hired a bunch of 25 and 26 year-olds who were all into it.”

Hamby said, “Obama’s use of social media to talk directly to people was very strategic.”

“When I watch Sasha and Malia consume information, it is chopped up,” Obama said on Snapchat.

“Make sure that interest is peaked by something short,” Obama added. “Go to the links, read the articles, get informed.”

On Snapchat, which was prior to election day, Obama had a strong message for viewers.

“People, this is Barack Obama. If I can figure out how to Snapchat, you can figure out how to go vote,” Obama said as he recorded a front-facing Snapchat video.

According to the Washington Post, Obama’s presidency has set a standard for social media candidacies.

“However history judges Obama’s role in transforming the office, this first American presi- dent of the social media age has already established a standard for how politicians connect with a digitally savvy electorate,” Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post reporter wrote in an article published on May 16, 2016.

“Other chief executives did net- work TV; Obama is the streaming- video, Netflix president,” Eilperin added in her article.

In the same article, Nate Persily, a Stanford University law professor, addresses how Obama’s messaging goes directly to the people.

“With the new platforms, not only can President Obama speak

directly to ‘the people,’” Persily said in the article. “But he can also target particular messages to audiences that ordinarily would not be paying attention.”

The White House reaches Americans and the world through three Twitter accounts, four Facebook accounts, a Google Plus account, Instagram and two Tumblr accounts.

Obama’s success with social media can be attributed the world making technological strides since he came into office in 2008.

“These changes are simply part of the new reality of having come to power during the digital and social media revolution,” Persily wrote in his article, attributing White House officials.

When Obama leaves the White House in January 2017, he leaves behind the legacy with the first of many things as president. He was the first African-American president and he was the first president to utilize social media.

Farewell, Obama

By Shamayeta Rahman, Transcript Reporter

When he entered the Oval Office, Barack Obama, 47, the junior senator from Illinois had made history as the United States’ first African-American President. He was inaugurated into office on Jan. 29, 2008 with an economy on the verge of a recession, skyrocketing unemployment rates and two wars that were nowhere near ending.

Now, after eight years and two terms served in office, as he grows closer to the end of his presidency, it is time for a retrospective analysis of his successes and failures, and what he will be leaving behind for his successor.

When campaigning in 2008, Obama defeated then Republican nominee John McCain with a majority of 365 electoral votes. A media sensation and a symbol of hope and change, Obama spoke loudly of his opposition to the war in Iraq and his intentions to end it, eradicating weapons of mass destruction around the world, and strengthening ties with allies to finish the fight with the al-Qaida and the Taliban.

He has always been a spokesperson on equality and LGBTQA+ rights and has been clear about promoting equal rights for men and women. His tech-savviness and progressiveness made him well-liked among the younger generation, and his charismatic personality did the rest.

Within the first 100 days of his inauguration, Obama put out an order to shut down Guantanamo Bay, but the Congress did not let it go through and started developing plans to deploy the troops from Iraq. He was awarded a Noble Prize for his promise to end the war in Iraq.

Having been elected in the midst of the subprime mortgage crisis, Obama acted soon to sign the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a $787 billion economic stimulus geared to helping the economy recover from the terrible recession. By the end of his first term, the unemployment rate had come down from 10 percent to 7.7 percent. And today, eight years after the Great Recession, the unemployment rate is back at its natural level much to the credit of the policies taken up by the Federal Reserve and the Obama Administration.

No president has ever had all their decisions met without some dissent. Although a popular figure, Obama has faced scrutiny about some of his policy decisions over the years. In 2011, the Congress decided to not support the president’s “involvement” in Libya which he disregarded as military action started up under NATO operations. Some deemed it to be an unconstitutional act on his behalf.

Again in 2015, the decision to get involved in Syria in the overthrowing of President Bashar-Al-Assad and getting rid of their chemical weapons was seen by the U.S. public as unnecessary specially in light of the fact that President Vladimir Putin had extended his support to Assad, and engaging in Syria would mean a rise in tensions with Russia.

Despite that, Obama does also have many great political successes in terms of renegotiating relations with Cuba, being the first U.S. President to visit Hiroshima since World War II, succeeding in negotiating with Iran, leading the war on terror and ISIS and most notably the assignation of Osama bin Laden. Though some of his decisions over the years have been disappointing to the public, others have been equally lauded.

Obama worked relentlessly to make the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare a reality. It helped provide health insurances to over 20 million uninsured Americans and made health care a lot more accessible to those who are struggling with poverty.

However, there have been lots of criticisms of Obamacare as well, noting its huge fees for not having insurance and not providing insurance, the rising costs in insurance premiums and the underemployment due to the specificity of this mandate. The health care system will need to be improved whether it is repealed or not.

Donald Trump, the next president of the U.S., will have to figure out how to reduce national debt which is currently at 75 percent of the gross domestic product, make reforms in the health care system and immigrations process and take on the role of ending multiple involvements in the Middle East.

We have four years to see if Trump can fill Barack Obama’s shoes, who in the end of the day is a well-loved President who worked with the nation’s best interest in heart despite his many shortcomings.

Saturday Night Live covers elections

By Matt Maier, Transcript Reporter

What are three words that describe this year’s election? Now, think of the Saturday Night Live skits that have been done. Are your answers roughly similar?

This election has brought some of the funniest and most outrageous sketch performances in recent history.

The infamous SNL skits have been centerpieces of the elections for years now, and this election has not disappointed. Let’s take a look back and rank some from this year’s election.

The first debate gave SNL plenty of material, and SNL used the ammunition accordingly. The countless “sniffles” of Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump truly brought up the is- sue many Americans were thinking and the style that Kate McKinnon’s Hillary Clinton entered was right on cue.

Walking in with a cane, as if the rumors of her health second best out of the three.

The town hall debate had one iconic moment that people have forever remembered: Ken Bone.
The man who asked a question during this debate found memes and images of himself all around the country the next day and the SNL skit didn’t fail to mention him.

When asked about setting a good example for children, McKinnon answered “yes,” while Baldwin simply said “no,” earning laughs. This debate sketch comes in at number three, however.

Finally, the third and last debate was one for the ages as guest moderator Tom Hanks played the part of Chris Wallace.

If the attention from that wasn’t enough, audiences loved the way that McKinnon’s Clinton opened up the debate with how she was planning to “feast” in her last debate. As for Baldwin’s Trump performance, none were as good. Over the years, many people have played Trump, but Baldwin stole the show.

2016 Election Highlights

By John Bonus, Transcript Reporter

From start to finish, this election has been anything but ordinary. Since candidates first started announcing their campaigns, America has been on one of the wildest political roller coasters in history.

While there have been many surprising moments in this election, some stand out above the rest. These are the most memorable moments from the 2016 election.

Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president. Trump announced he would be running for president at Trump Tower in New York City last June. It began with a long escalator ride down to the stage, followed by the first controversial speech that started it all. In that speech, he first used the slogan, “Make America Great Again,” and made comments about Mexico bringing drugs and crime as well as introduced his idea to build a wall on the border.

Enough of the emails. At the first Democratic Primary Debate, Hillary Clinton was being ques- tioned about her emails when Bernie Sanders stepped in her defense. “The American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails,” Sanders said. The comment came as a surprise as it’s not typical for candidates to defend their opponents on stage.

Trump covered “Hotline Bling.” In an awkward yet hilarious parody on Saturday Night Live, Trump showed off his dance moves while singing a few lines to Drake’s hit song “Hotline Bling.” Marco Rubio made comments about the size of Trumps hands. This moment really was surprising, as up to this point Trump had been the only one making risky remarks. At one of his rallies, Rubio said Trump had small hands.

“And you know what they say about men with small hands,” Rubio said. Trump responded to Rubio’s comments at his rally, assuring his supporters that there was, “no problem.”

Birdie Sanders. At a rally in Portland, a small bird landed on the podium while Sanders was giving a speech. Sanders stopped mid-speech and acknowledged the bird while the audience applauded.

The Clintons’ obsession with fireworks and balloons at the Democratic National Convention. After it was announced Clinton was the nominee, fireworks were launched and Clinton gave an expression as though she had never seen fireworks before. Bill Clinton also seemed to have an obsession with the balloons. After Hillary spoke, he continued to play with the balloons, while people took pictures of him, creating some hilarious candids.

Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner. At a fundraiser dinner in New York, both Clinton and rump had the opportunity to make comments in regard to the election.

It was an informal face-off between the candidates and the speeches were intended to be hu- morous. However, both candidates didn’t shy away from using the opportunity to throw some harsh jabs at each other.

Recording of Trump’s com- ments about women. A recording of Trump making vulgar com- ments about women in 2005 surfaced in early October and it was shocking even for Trump.

In the recording,Trump said things such as, “When you’re a star, they let you do it.”

Trump received heavy backlash for the audio clip, even from his supporters.

This election has been controversial from the start, with some moments being hilarious and oth- ers leaving people scratching their heads.

And now that the election is over, Americans may wonder where they will get their entertainment from in the future.

Electing a new president with no right to vote

By Urvija Rishi, Transcript Correspondent

“When Uncle Sam sneezes, the whole world catches a cold” — and this election is nothing if proof of that.

The entire world is waiting with bated breath for the decision of the American people and their stake in this election is not purely for entertainment, but a significant interest in who will hold the most powerful political position arguably in the world.

In the 21st century, with the U.S. at the peak of its political, economic and military power, one does not need to be American to be invested in America.

I do not envy the American people in the choice they have to make.

Unfortunately, a racist bigot and a corrupt manipulator are not ideal, although I understand both their appeal and lack thereof.

On one hand, Trump represents the anti-establishment desires of the American populace and he has successfully preyed on the fear and xenophobia among the grassroots of the population, and enhanced the isolationist predispositions of American civil society, but the fact remains that his credentials to serve as president or in any public office are deeply lacking.

Having said that, I recognize the flaws in the alternative and perhaps Hillary Clinton has not made herself beloved to the masses despite her many attempts to be relatable or “chill.”

But her experience in politics is staggering and her credentials are merit-worthy.

More importantly, when Clinton talks about policies, she has some sort of viable idea or plan for execution, perhaps because she actually has the legislative and policy experience.

While buzzwords like “emails,” “Benghazi” and her pattern of corrupt behavior are deterrents and deal-breakers for many, I think the fundamental question that the American people must ask themselves is whether they need to like their President or whether they need to respect and trust them and their opinions.

I could endlessly wax lyrical about the unrealistic nature of most of Trump’s proposed policies and his blatant use of pseudoscience and rhetoric as a persuasion mechanism. For instance, a trade deficit cannot be used to make sweeping qualitative generalizations about the economy, and a regressive tax system is based on the failed idea of trickle-down economics.

Even in terms of foreign policy, Trump’s eloquent solutions of bombing the Islamic State and advocating for war crimes leave much to be desired, not just in terms of comprehensiveness and practicality, but just general standards of minimal humanity.

To be fair, both the candidates are seemingly quite trigger happy in terms of involvement in war and Clinton’s track record is questionable at best, but who would you want negotiating and representing American interests in the international system—a former Secretary of State who has diplomatic experience or a self-proclaimed businessman extraordinaire who has the “best words”?

Unlike Trump, I do not have the best words to describe how real the fear of him having access to nuclear codes is, but I believe I may be part of the global majority who does not want to leave the fate of all of human civilization in his stubby-fingered hands.

As an invested spectator of this election, the thought of a Trump presidency used to fill me with horrified amusement which slowly turned into genuine panic as I observed the support he garnered by spewing senseless, hateful rhetoric.

If anything, this election reflects the profoundly entrenched prejudices within American society and despite decades of championing liberty and equality, the fact that the American people willingly elected someone who wants to go against everything this country stands for is perhaps more fearinducing than him actually being president.

The Transcript: Will America ever be great again?

By Transcript Staff, Transcript Staff

In June 2015, when Donald Trump, former American game show star, announced his candidacy, it was considered a joke, or at least questioned. But little did we know 17 months later in the wee hours of the morning of Nov. 9 2016, he would become the 45th president of the United States.

As we covered election day results, the news of Trump win- ning at almost 3 a.m. shocked The Transcript office.

Leading up to election day, Trump was not the crowd favorite on Ohio Wesleyan’s campus, losing 45-122 to Hillary Clinton in mock voting organized last week by the Student Involvement Office.

Delaware county’s results sadly did not reflect the same, with Trump winning by 16.1 percent votes. This is the most unpleasant voting result since Brexit this summer.

We all know the famous rhetoric, “I am moving to Canada, if *insert name here* becomes president.”

Many people took that as a joke to express their discontent with the candidates. It no longer is one. Case in point, Canada’s website of immigration and citizenship promptly crashed as results showed Trump’s electoral votes largely outnumber Clinton’s.

Throughout his campainging, Trump repetedly echoed that if elected, he would “make America great again.” He also said, until the very last day, he will not accept the results if he loses, a disgraceful stance to take by a nominee.

A president-elect who brags about sexual assault, spews hate on immigrants in a nation built on immigrants, and talks of the possibility of physical walls, is worryworthy and concerning to The Transcript staff. And we are not alone.

Within less than 24 hours of results being announced, protes- tors have taken to the streets “from South California to the east coast,” according to USA Today.

The only demographic not insulted or disgraced by Trump is white men. It is worth noting that Clinton did in fact win the popular vote by 224,785 votes, while over 15,000 voters chose to vote for Harambe, the dead gorilla. Let that sink in.

In the third and final debate, he casually called Clinton a “nasty woman.” And even if we look past his blatant remarks, his policy promises are concerning.

He vowed to fight “radical Islam,” which he sees as a direct correlation to terrorism. The last we checked, the American Dream did not stigmatize against a religion.

Trump’s presidency is the personification of white supremacy, xenophobia, homophobia and sexism. Delaware resident of 43 years, Dawn Smith in an interview with The Transcript said “Clinton has my vote, but she will not win. She’s a woman … Women are not the head.”

Smith is not alone. Trump’s presidency has clealry shown that no matter how twisted a candidate may be, it’s a lot easier for the while male presidency trend to prevail.

This was a long night of political coverage that ran neck and neck all night. It wasn’t until Clinton called Trump at 2:30 a.m. to concede from the race, that it became official.

Trump lovers and haters were quickly segregated into their respective sides once the results were out as social media opin- ions and creative hashtags were strewed across timelines world-wide.

Between watching election results come in live at the Delaware County Board of Elections and actively hosting radio shows with OWU Radio, the election finally coming to a halt has not even hit us yet.