Introducing President-elect Donald J. Trump

By Courtney Dunne, Editor-in-Chief and Areena Arora, Managing Editor

The verdict is in. The 45th President-elect of the United States is business tycoon and tv personality Donald J Trump along with Vice President Mike Pence.

Defeating democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton by 61 electoral votes, Trump has emerged the winner. Swing states such as Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania emerged red effecting the electorate and skewing the results.

But he did not win by a landslide. Clinton walked away with the popular vote.

The final popular vote came in at Clinton 59,595,237 votes (47.7%) and 59,370,253 votes (47.5%) for Donald Trump, but in the voting system in the U.S., presidential candidates must win the majority of the electoral vote in order to win the election.

This historic election took an unexpected turn which brought Trump to the White House.

The country was looking for Trump to speak on the unity of the United States and in his acceptance speech early morning Nov. 9., Trump said, “Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division.”

Despite the efforts of many students campaigning for Clinton at the foot of the JayWalk up until the election day, Delaware county voted for Trump.

Citizens waited around for hours waiting for Wisconsin, Michigan, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania went neck in neck for awhile with the vote sitting at 48.2 to 48.2, and in the end Trump won the state by 0.6 percent.

In Ohio, Trump won with 52.1 percent votes, while Hillary took 43.5 percent.

Trump kept the lead for the majority of the night, with Clinton pulling ahead taking the win in California, but it didn’t last for long. Swing states kept voters waiting into the early hours of the night.

The Republicans retained their majority in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, which will provide an ease for Trump that President Obama did not have in getting policy passed.

As the polls remained tight and Trump took the lead, investors began to pull their money out of the American markets. The Dow Jones industrial average plunged about 700 points throughout the election results.

Finally at 2:40 a.m. EST, Clinton called Trump saying she will concede the race, giving the country the president-elect.

Around 2:45 a.m., Trump delivered his acceptance speech opening with, “Thank you. Thank you very much, everybody. Sorry to keep you waiting. Complicated business. Complicated. Thank you very much. I’ve just received a call from Secretary Clinton. She congratulated us. It’s about us. On our victory, and I congratulated her and her family on a very, very hard-fought campaign.”

On Nov. 9 at 11:30 a.m. Secretary Hillary Clinton delivered her concession speech to the country, encouraging her voters to keep an open mind to the new president Trump.

She offered to work with him on behalf of the the country. She said she respects this peaceful transfer of power and reminded her voters that it is never wrong to fight for what is right.

“I feel pride and gratitude for this campaign that we built together.. You represent the best of America and being your candidate has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” said Clinton in her concession speech.

Trump is going into the presidency with over 50 percent approval ratings, which is historically high, according to CNN.

Shortly after Clinton delivered her concession speech President Barack Obama gave a speech from the White House Rose Garden.

Obama said he called Trump in the early morning hours of Nov. 9 to congratulate the new president-elect and to provide his support. Obama said he wants to honor the standing tradition of a peaceful transition, even with the man who challenged Obama’s birth rights of being a U.S. born citizen. Obama even invited Trump to the White House on Nov. 10 to start his peaceful transition.

Obama and Clinton urged their supporters to give trump the chance to lead the country, while Obama said he is doing his best to prepare Trump for the office, he said, “is bigger than anyone.”

There have been mixed reactions from students on OWU’s campus, and Obama tells us in his speech on Nov. 9 to stay positive and look to the bright side.

The inauguration day for Trump to take office is Jan. 20, 2017.

OWU Rugby wraps up fall season

By Ross Hickenbottom, Sports Editor

The Ohio Wesleyan club Rugby men’s and women’s squads recently wrapped up it’s fall seasons, both being named semifinalists in their conference championship tour- naments. The women are part of the Ohio Valley Women’s Collegiate Rugby Conference, along with NCAC rivals Hiram, Denison, Kenyon, Oberlin and Wittenberg, and the men are part of the Great Lakes Collegiate Rugby Confer- ence Central Division along with Denison Kenyon and Oberlin.

Both squads began their fall season as early as August 31, just a week after classes began at OWU. Their seasons consisted of games versus much larger schools including Xavier University, Ashland and the University of Kentucky. With only seven weeks of contests before the National Small College Rugby Organization playoffs.

Coach John English, who began coaching the men’s program midway through the spring of 2014, and in the fall of 2015, took over as the Director of Rugby for both men’s and women’s programs, set a goal to put Ohio Wesleyan University Rugby on the forefront of Ohio rugby.

“There has been great support for the rugby program from everyone at OWU, from the President all the way down,” he said.

“The university does a great job in recognizing the success of the players and program as a whole.”

As far as putting OWU on the map for Rugby, he has done just that. Both teams finished with winning seasons, and chalked up impressive numbers against opponents such as men’s wins over Oberlin 68-0 and Ashland 87-14, and a staggering women’s win over Wittenberg 55-7.

The OWU Rugby program continues to grow and gain relevance on campus through constant recruiting and adver- tisement among campus. The men’s team fielded 20 players in their first bout of the 2016 fall season while the women’s team fielded 25. Both numbers have shown an increase as compared to previous years in the program.

On Saturday the 29th, the men ended their season with a hard fought loss against the Jackets from Baldwin Wallace, 14-46 while the women ended theirs with a loss to the Oilers from Findlay 25-0.

The OWU Rugby teams are clubs of men and women student-athletes committed to the constant pursuit of perfect pitch, and are always recruiting.

Orsini sets precedent for OWU Quarterbacks

By Matt Maier, Transcript Reporter

As a senior football player, nothing is more exciting than performing best in your final season on the team.

That was the case when senior quarterback Dominick Orsini set a school record for total offense and the second highest single-game rushing performance in the history of Ohio Wesleyan football.

On Oct. 22, the OWU men’s football team played DePauw University in which Orsini had 252 rushing yards on just 25 carry attempts and also had three touch-downs.

Orsini threw for 242 yards and one throwing touchdown. Total, Orsini had 494 yards in offense, breaking the school record of 484 yards that was set by Mason Espinosa on Nov. 13, 2010.

“Great preparation and focus helped me achieve these records, but most importantly, my team- mates playing extraordinarily well and doing their part helped me accomplish this,” Orsini said.

Orsini was named to the d3football.com’s Team of the Week. The honor recognizes six offensive players, one offensive line, 11 defensive players and four special teams players from around the nation. Along with this honor, Orsini was also named the NCAC athlete for the week of Oct. 24.

In his senior season, Orsini said he is proving to leave it all on the field. Teammates and coaches recognize this fact and praise his efforts.

“Having a guy like Dom [Orsini] on our team is something that makes our team special,” said senior captain Mason Tomblin. “He is always putting himself in the best situation to make our team better and I think he exemplifies OWU football perfectly.”

Looking back on his time at OWU and his past few games, Orsini said he has no regrets or ill feelings toward finishing a great career.

“It’s been an incredible feeling to end my career with these games and achievements, but ending with these great memories and doing it … with my brothers on the gridiron is an indescribable feeling that I’ll cherish with me throughout the rest of my life,” Orsini said.

The men’s football team will play Allegheny next at 1 p.m. Nov. 5 in Meadville, Pennsylvania.

OWU’s music students wow at senior recital

By Leah Miza, Photo Editor

Ohio Wesleyan seniors Patrick Tang and Melody Smith came together to present their senior recital Oct. 30.

Both performers’ repertoire was mainly chosen by Jennifer Whitehead, assistant professor of music at OWU.

“I trusted Dr. Whitehead’s … judgement on what songs I should sing,” Tang said.

Smith added that her repertoire included pieces she worked on over the past few years, and some selections from the beginning of the semester.

However, the performers were not limited to their professor’s choices. “I trust what she suggests, but we do work together to select songs,” Tang said.

The two decided to perform together after being friends since freshman year. “We thought
it would be great to be able to do one of the highlights of senior year together,” Smith said.

Tang said, “As each year came and went, we knew the senior recital was approaching closer, and so halfway through junior year, we just decided that it would be really cool to share this moment together because it could be one of the last times we perform together.”

Both Smith and Tang said they felt their performances went well. “I think my voice has come a long way and that I’ve made a lot of improvements since I came to OWU. It was so rewarding to be able to showcase all my hard work,” Smith said.

Wesleyan Players produces six plays in 23 hours

By Liz Hardaway, Arts & Entertainment Editor

In the span of 24 hours, six plays were written, directed and performed at the Studio Theater in Chappelear Drama Center Saturday, Oct. 29.

With six playwrights, six directors and 12 actors, six plays were created out of thin air 23 hours before the curtain rose. The only direction the group was given was a specific line, a gesture and a prop they had to include in their performances.

The event was held to preview the work of a possible new Ohio Wesleyan club Wesleyan Players.

“[The Wesleyan Players] are exploring different kinds of alternative forms of theater we don’t get a chance to work with usually,” said junior Hailey LaRoe, the president of Wesleyan Players.

One form of the alternative art form was an impromptu 23-hour play festival called Instant Theatre, suggested by junior Rachel Scherrer.

Directors and playwrights were paired together at 9 p.m.on Friday night, and actors were given their scripts the next morning. The rest of the day included directing, organizing and figuring out the technical aspects of each of six plays.

Even though the playwrights had a little bit of direction, themes ranged from a mutual boyfriend of siblings, millennial aliens, a woman obsessed with gummy bears and even a play about writing a 23-hour play.

For such a short time-frame, overall the event went smoothly, said junior Audrey Castañeda Walker, an officer of the club.

They are hoping to make this event an annual tradition to give even more students the opportunity to enhance their skills outside the classroom, as well as give more and more students performance opportunities.

Wesleyan Players was a performing arts group on cam- pus nine years ago, rebooting this year to give students the opportunity to bring people in the theater department who may not be able to fully commit to the department, while also experimenting with different types of theater in a fun setting, said LaRoe.

The prop used for these instant plays was a blue, light-up handheld gummi bear, which Lennon used as the end of the fairy-godmother’s wand to grant Cinderella’s wishes.

The BEAT: Committed coming to A cappalooza

By John Bonus, Transcript Reporter

The fourth annual Ohio Wesleyan A Cappellooza showcase is bringing the Grammy-nominated group Committed to perform for students.

The event is being hosted by OWU’s Campus Programming Board and will feature performances of movie theme songs by a cappella groups from OWU, Kenyon College, Wittenberg University, the University of Akron and others.

Committed is a five-person a cappella group that was created in 2003. The members comprise Therry Thomas, Dennis Baptiste, Geston Pierre, Robbie Pressley and Maurice Staple. The group met at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama.

In 2010, Committed won the second season of “The Sing-Off,” a musical competition on NBC. Since then, they have received a Grammy nomination for their rendition of “Do You Hear What I Hear,” a track off of their holiday album Home for Christmas.

The name Committed describes the group, the members said. They live their lives committed to God, each other and music.

“With a cappella music, we are literally able pour out our souls in song and express ourselves individually and as a group,” Pierre said.

Winning “The Sing Off” was a great honor for the group and they said it has had an amaz- ing impact on their lives. Thomas described the experience as being “an honor and a privilege,” and that having people know them and their music is surreal.

For part of the show the group got to sing with artist Boyz II Men in front of a live TV audience, which was an opportunity they called life-changing.

“It was such an honor to sing with people that we have looked up to for years and it really was a dream come true,” Pierre said.

A Cappellooza will be took place at 7 p.m. Nov. 5 in Gray Chapel.

“We’re really excited to come to Ohio Wesleyan and bring some great music,” Pierre said.  “Students should be prepared to laugh, to cry, to be excited and overall have an amazing night.”

Poet visits Merrick Hall

By Areena Arora, Managing Editor

Thursday, Oct. 20 was a usual day on Ohio Wesleyan’s campus, except the first woman, first Scot and first openly gay British poet laureate recited her poetry to an audience of over a hundred students, faculty and Delaware residents in Merrick Hall.

Carol Ann Duffy became Britain’s Poet Laureate in 2009 and is currently a professor of contemporary poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University. Duffy was invited as part of OWU’s English department’s Katherine Kearney Carpenter Lecture series.

The reading began at 7 p.m., which included her works on the characterization of the fictional character Faust’s wife. After over an hour of poetry, Duffy answered audience members’ questions.

Mr. Faust, Duffy said, was just like Donald Trump. Faust had everything, yet desired more, she said, before narrating her poetry. Nancy Comorau, assistant professor of English, had the idea of inviting Duffy. Duffy was contacted through a speaker’s bureau, according to Comorau.

“I suggested Carol Ann Duffy … for a number of reasons,” Comorau said. “Her poetry is complex and interesting, but it’s also accessible upon first read. I believed that her position as the first woman to hold the role of UK Poet Laureate and first LGBTQ+ per- son in that role would speak to a number of constituencies on campus.”

During her visit, Duffy visited three classes and also spoke at a roundtable on Fri- day, Oct. 21 for invited students, said Comorau. After her talk, Duffy also signed her books for audience members.

Duffy is proud of her identities as the first gay woman to hold the title. “The most important thing is … there hadn’t been a woman for nearly 400 years. It’s just disgraceful … We have now national poets in Wales Island and Scotland … so it seems to be changing.”

She added, “I think it’s important for public figures to be out … they have a responsibil- ity to the society.”

“This is a place I’ve never been to, so I was curious to come here,” she said. “I enjoyed it very much. Often when you read in a different country, the humor doesn’t quite work … you feel reassured when they laugh.”

Duffy said she has been to the U.S. many times as a visiting poet.

These are not the clowns you see in the circus

By Courtney Dunne, Editor-in-Chief

As an employee in the admissions office, I get the question, “Is your campus safe?”

In my three and a half years here, my answer has always been “yes,” but recently, if I am honest to prospective students and their families, I would say I no longer feel safe.

What probably started as an innocent joke has turned into something that has brought a sense of fear over students as well as people in town.

I first heard about the “clowns” in Delaware when I was at Big Brothers, Big Sisters meat Willis Elementary School where they were talking about a clown who had chased them in the park.

When I heard that, I was concerned, but I thought, “Oh, it’s just kids being kids around Halloween.”

A few weeks later, I heard that a 13-year-old girl had been chased down Spring Street and the report said the man tried to grab her, but the girl ultimately freed herself. The girl never should have been chased in the first place.

This was just the beginning.

After, it was reported that someone broke into the Delta Delta Delta sorority house on Winter Street and multiple students have seen people in clown masks lurking around campus.

As many sororities head over to Winter Street for chapter on Sunday nights, there was a report that one woman was chased on her way to chapter, which sent a red flag to all the women walking back to campus from that street.

The fact that these commonly used areas are not well lit and not well populated creates a danger for all students on campus.

According to Facebook, I am not the only student who has opinions on this issue.

Sophomore Faith Best posted on her Facebook, “I have always felt safe in this town. I grew up here. I go to college here. I practice caution.

“Yet, I have always felt safe walking from the library to my dorm at 10 p.m. on any given day. I always felt safe walking the block between my sorority house and dorm after chapter.

“That was until yesterday. Last week, we heard reports of a man in a clown mask chasing a 13- year-old girl near campus. Followed close after were reports of attempted break-ins at a sorority house.

“Yesterday, students were chased by masked men. Another was followed by a hooded man on a bike.

“Two men in clown masks were reported being seen outside my residence hall. A group of men came running toward another student outside a sorority house last night. Suddenly, caution doesn’t feel like enough.

“Why do I have to feel terrified to walk a half a block by myself? Why does my mom have to worry that I might get attacked?

“Why do my roommates have to prepare to call the police if one of us isn’t back to the room when they say they will be? Why does everyone have to hold their keys between their knuckles when they walk from their cars to the doors?

“Is this supposed to be funny? Is that really the world we live in where it isn’t a practical Halloween joke to chase women and girls with knives?”

I am hoping that these incidents are isolated and are people just trying to pull some horrible Halloween pranks. I have also noticed how dark parts of campus are at night as I have been hyper aware on my walks home.

Seasonal affective disorder is a real thing

By Tom Wolber, Transcript Corespondent

The dark days of winter are approaching.

Shorter days, lack of sunlight and cold temperatures trigger powerful biological reactions in plants, animals and humans. Many animals shut down and hibernate or fall into a state of torpor.

In people, too, winter can trigger an episodic physiological response called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

The level of melatonin (a sleep hormone) goes up, and folks become tired, inactive, disinterested, lethargic and even depressed. We crave warmth and comfort, including comfort foods such as cookies and chocolate. This is a natural, biologically-based survival strategy, not a psychosomatic “disorder.”

In times when the temperatures fall and food becomes scarce, conserving energy is a logical adoptive behavior. A more general feeling of winter blues is experienced by up to 20 percent of the population.

Depending on the exact definition of the word, about 5 percent of Americans suffer from the more debilitating effects of SAD. The farther north you go, the more pronounced SAD becomes.

In sun-rich southern states such as Florida, SAD prevalence is as low as 1-2 percent, but in northern states such as New Hampshire or Alaska it can be as high as 10 percent. The same is true for Europe where SAD is highest in Scandinavia and Russia and lowest in the Mediterranean countries.

For Ohio residents, SAD is nothing new. However, for new Ohio Wesleyan students from southern states or other countries the experience can be confusing and nerve-racking at first. By the way, the scientist who first explored SAD in a systematic manner was Norman E. Rosenthal. His book “Winter Blues” (first published in 1983) remains the standard introduction on SAD.

The good news is there are multiple strategies and therapies that allow you to cope with SAD.

Experts such as Rosenthal advise staying active during the winter months. If you bundle up, you can still go outside and catch some fresh air, sunshine and vitamin D. Taking regular walks will boost your mood and morale.

It is well-established that exercise has an antidepressant effect. Another strategy is “talking therapy” by staying socially involved with family members, relatives, friends or a counselor. You may want to join a club or start a new hobby.

Many people already practice SAD therapy, without realizing it, when they go to the mall and shop or visit family over the holidays. It is not a coincidence that the biggest shopping season of the year coincides with the time the days are shortest.

“Light therapy” is another natural stratagem to fight the winter blues. Specifically equipped SAD “light boxes” ensure you receive a daily dose of bright light. White fluorescent light seems to work best. For optimal treatment, 10,000 lux is recommended. There are no known side effects, but please use the boxes only as directed.

The counseling centers of multiple colleges and universities offer such light boxes and OWU is among them. The boxes are also commercially available.

A healthy, balanced diet can also help people stay alert and functional during the winter season. Studies have shown, for example, that fish-eating nations such as Iceland and Japan have significantly lower SAD rates compared to other countries in the northern hemisphere.

If you have the time and means, a ski trip to sunny mountain slopes or a trip to the Caribbean can also do wonders for you. Some folks have permanently relocated to more southern climates, with good results as far as SAD is concerned.

In the overwhelming majority of SAD cases, prescribed antidepressants and medical intervention is not required. Only in extraordinary circumstances may episodic SAD lead to a more serious chronic depression.

This would be the time when professional medical help is called for and when antidepressants can be used as a last resort.

If you exercise, stay socially connected, seek out natural or artificial light and eat well, you should be able to survive the annual winter funk without great difficulties.

Trump rallies Ohioans at the Delaware County Fairgrounds

By John Bonus, Transcript Reporter

With the election drawing closer, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump made a stop in Delaware, Ohio for a packed rally Oct. 20.

The rally took place at the Delaware fairgrounds and a huge crowd of supporters greeted Trump. People began gathering at the event early in the morning and security had to close the gates hours before the event started.

Trump opened the rally by remarking about possible election results.

“I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election,” Trump said. “If I win.”

The remark was in reference to his past suggestions that the election may be rigged in Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s favor. He continued by talking about the problem of voter fraud and how it could possibly influence the election results.

It is traditional in presidential elections for the loser to gracefully accept the winner as the people’s choice, but as Trump has shown in his campaign, he is anything but a traditional candidate.

Several students from Ohio Wesleyan attended or at least attempted to attend the rally, including sophomore Cole Petty.

Petty is the president of College Republicans on campus and works as a volunteer for the Trump campaign. He has worked at rallies in the past, but was unable to work at the one in Delaware due to the number of volunteers.

Petty said he wasn’t bothered because he sees the large influx of supporters and volunteers as a great sign for the Republican nominee.

“Even though I didn’t get into the Delaware Trump rally, I still think that it’s great that we have this many people coming,” Petty said. “The fact that they have to turn so many people away at his rallies shows that he may have larger support than the media portrays him to have.”

Petty is one of many students who are excited to see how Ohio and the rest of the country will vote in this election.