Trump: he loves me, he loves me not

By Areena Arora, Managing Editor

Little did we know what scarce Onesidential candidate Donald Trump declared at a rally in Edison, New Jersey that he “is a big fan of Hindu, and a big fan of India.”

Flash back to April 2016, he mocked Indians for our accent when discussing call centers and outsourcing at a rally in Harrington, Delaware.

Thank you, sir. Your transformation has been unreal; impressive even.

As a Hindu Indian, I should feel relieved now. But I do not. Maybe because I am a woman, too, and in 2013 he tweeted sexual assault in the military is to be expected “when they put men and women together.” Or, maybe because more recently, Trump claimed that ‘grabbing a woman by the p***y is only locker room talk.’ But I get it. As his wife Melania Trump said in an interview to News 18 on Oct. 18, he was “led on,” and “it was only boy talk.”

Maybe I should look past that. But as a foreigner here to study, this presidential election has been an especially peculiar experience. I had been looking forward to when I came here two years ago, but little about this election has lived up to my expectations.

With candidates’ emails being leaked, personal taxes being discussed and policies being sidelined, I’m not sure if this is really what I was looking forward to.

I grew up in a democratic country, the largest one by seats in fact, I understand politics can be a mad jungle, and baseless allegations about opponents is not new. However, Trump’s transformative approach toward Indians is unreal.

As an outsider, I was hoping to hear about actual working policies and not how high the wall will be, or who will pay for it. As an economics major, I thought Trump would talk about the labor force, employment and you know, other smart-sounding things, but instead he chose to spew hate on immigrant labor-force.

Two weeks ago, my parents feared for my safety if he is elected – you know, he seems to dislike women, and immigrants. But they’re at peace now. For 48 hours, as of writing this, he has declared us to be best friends, and you might wonder why the sudden change?

According to a 2014 Pew study, 65 percent of Indian Americans were democrats or leaned toward voting democratic. Since there’s about 3.5 million Indian Americans, it seems that Trump’s transformation is merely a product of vote mongering.

I wonder, though, if this 240-year-old democracy is barely dependent on vote and popularity hunger.

Jimmy Fallon hugged me, but there’s no proof

By Sara Hollabaugh, Online Editor

True life: I hugged Jimmy Fallon and they didn’t show it on TV.

Last month, my boyfriend and I got tickets to the taping of a Fallon episode in New York after sitting on a prestigious waiting list.

A few weeks before the taping, we waited eagerly to find out what celebrities and musical guest would appear on the show, only to later be disappointed by Vin Diesel, Norman Reedus and an unknown musical guest.

I guess I wasn’t disappointed, but my initial reaction was “eh.”

We told ourselves that it didn’t matter, because we were going to see Fallon in person, hopefully up close.

It turns out we did get up close and personal.

Fast forward to the day of the taping, Oct. 13, where we were escorted from a stairway in the main lobby to the Peacock Lounge, a waiting area for the audience members and strictly told not to take any photos whatsoever.

Not willing to chance getting kicked out of NBC Studios before even getting to see Fallon, we happily obliged.

Photo taken by NBC Studios. Since we weren't allowed to take photos while waiting for the show to start, or during the show, employees of NBC Studios took this photo of me and my boyfriend.
Photo taken by NBC Studios.
Since we weren’t allowed to take photos while waiting for the show to start, or during the show, employees of NBC Studios took this photo of me and my boyfriend.

So we waited for a good hour and a half before being let into Studio 6B, the room Fallon films in. Was it worth it, you may ask. Absolutely.

By some luck, we ended up in the first row right behind the producers of the show and one of the cameramen.

The. First. Row.

NBC had a comedian get us excited for the show to start, then the famous band from Philadelphia, The Roots, entered and Fallon’s counterpart, Steve Higgins, began his nightly introduction to the show.

Lights, camera, action: Fallon was on stage less than 20 feet from me.

Disclaimer: Even though I wasn’t pleased with the guest stars and music selection, I couldn’t really say anything. The tickets were free and I was sitting extremely close to Fallon, the person I watch on Hulu every night.

So Fallon went through his opening jokes, talked with Vin Diesel, messed around with Norman Reedus and kept me mesmerized.

I genuinely forgot I was actually watching it live because he’s that good.

Not only did everything run so smoothly while the cameras rolled, but during the scheduled taping breaks, what would be a commercial break when it aired later, Fallon continued with his witty remarks in such a casual manner.

Like I said, he really is that good.

But as the show neared its end, that’s when I got most excited.

I waited for Fallon to run up and down the audience seating area while the cameras rolled to hug, gives high fives and shake hands with us.

That’s when I got to hug Fallon and try not to pass out from excitement.

So long story not so short, I was the last person Fallon hugged, but the credits ended on television maybe two seconds before he got to me.

You know what they say: If it’s not on social media (or on TV for my experience), did it even happen?

Honestly, I’m still in shock, so if you told me I was lying I’d probably believe you.

Fallon hugged me and they didn’t show it on TV.

Carlson takes over cross-country

By Matt Maier, Transcript Reporter

The Ohio Wesleyan athletics department named a new men’s and women’s cross-country head coach this past week.

Ben Carlson, former head coach of track and field and cross-country teams at Adrian College, is now the head coach of men’s and women’s cross-country and assistant coach of the men’s and women’s track and field teams.

Ben Carlson
Ben Carlson

“Ben was chosen from a very deep pool of candidates,” said Roger Ingles, athletic director. “He was selected from several very qualified candidates but was our clear cut, number one choice.”

At Adrian College, Carlson led the Bulldog men and women’s cross-country teams to fifth and eighth place finishes in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association. As for cross-country, he helped coach three conference Most Outstanding athletes.

Carlson replaced Matt Wackerly who had been on the Ohio Wesleyan staff for several years. Wackerly relocated to Nebraska because of his wife’s job change.

“He has great experience as a collegiate athlete and as a collegiate coach,” Ingles
said. “We believe he brings a great set of skills to the position and we believe that he Ben will make a great fit here.”

The athletic department at OWU began looking for a new head coach right at the end of the spring track and field season.

“It’s always exciting to see what a new coach brings from their past experiences,” said junior Adira Jarman. “I can see him staying around for a long time and continuing our success that we’ve been known to have.”

Carlson will look to continue Battling Bishops success and the pride that the teams have, both on and off the field.

Early voting information important for students

By Cirrus Robinson, Transcript Reporter

As voting registration for Ohio ended Oct. 11, the outreach efforts of Jenny Holland, assistant professor of politics and government at Ohio Wesleyan, and several students came to a close.

The upcoming presidential election called for serious fervor from campus political teams ensure that students had access to voter information and accurate registration.

Early voting in Ohio begins Oct.12 and ends Nov. 7. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8th. OWU Daily and corresponding emails from Holland and other campus outlets will update students on what they need to do before and on Election Day.

Tables spread throughout campus provide forms and information to make an early election choice.

A valid ID and complete registration are the only requirements to cast an early vote. Absentee ballot applications can be completed and printed online for those who are not currently registered to vote in Delaware, and students can submit ballots until the end of polls closing a Election Day.

Tables in the lobbies of Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, Beeghly Library and OMSA provided students with registration forms and information about changing their addresses right up to Tuesday when opportunities closed.

The U.S. provides flexibility during election season in allowing a voter to choose either their home state or the state in which they currently reside to register.

This allows college campuses to ensure all students, particularly OWU with high national and international enrollment, can be prepared.

Holland stressed the importance of proof of residency and signing up under the correct OWU address to ensure that students are not left with any gaps in their eligibility come November.

Those who registered to vote in the spring with different dorm addresses were also encouraged to update their information and ensure that everyone was able to make their mark in the presidential race.

Students can check their voting status to make sure they were properly registered at either a Board of Elections website correlating with their address or at My Voter Information at voterlookup.sos.state.oh.us.

Homecoming hails hurrahs

By Matt Maier, Transcript Reporter

The Ohio Wesleyan campus was electric as alumni and families were welcomed to Homecoming weekend.

Filled with festivities and plenty of things to do on campus, the main events of Homecoming weekend were the tailgate on Saturday and the men’s football game against Kenyon College.

Set up in the parking lot of Selby Stadium was a tailgate welcomed to families, friends and alumni. From noon – 2 p.m., OWU offered activities such as the “selfie station” for people to mix and mingle, as well as a food station and beer truck.

“The tailgate was something that has never really been done in all my four years at OWU,” said senior Katie Worland. “I really like how they made it a senior event as well so the seniors were able to be together and really have a good time.”

Once the tailgate ended, the Battling Bishops hosted Kenyon College at Selby Stadium, with the men’s football team looking to avenge its previous loss against Denison University.

In what amounted to a 25-17 win in front of alumni and students, the Bishops extended their record to 2-3 overall.

“The atmosphere for the game was great with so many people back,” said Tom Watts, head coach. “The home side was filled up and there was so much going on in the parking lot prior to the game that really helped us out.”

The past three years have proved to be successful for the Bishops against Kenyon as they have won each time. Solidifying this streak was this year’s win against the Lords.

“Kenyon always gives us a tough game, so it was a great opponent to play this week,” said senior Dominick Orsini. “I think both teams gave their fans a great game to watch,.”

Watts said, “The goal for the rest of the season is to build off the last game and keep improving to take that next step. We have a great team who has fought through some adversity, but the sky is the limit for this team.”

Debt-free plan proposed could affect students

By Liz Hardaway, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Hillary Clinton’s debt-free college plan could be detrimental to Ohio Wesleyan’s future.

Clinton proposed a “New College Compact” plan, a guaranteed debt-free college experience influenced by the platform of former Democratic nominee Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Va).

Not only is this beneficial for future students “to pursue their dreams,” but Clinton also plans to offer immediate relief to current student debt, which nationally exceeds $1 trillion, according to “The New College Compact” briefing on Clinton’s website.

For public university students, the plan assures a future where students will not have the need to take out loans to fund their education. This includes free tuition and fees at four-year schools for students coming from families who earn up to $125,000, as well as free tuition for anyone, at all income levels, for community colleges.

As for private school students, interest rates in student loans will be significantly lowered so “the government no longer profits from college students,” the plan said.

The cost of this program is estimated at $500 billion over 10 years, paid by “those at the top” by closing tax loopholes and expenditures, said the plan.

What does this mean for private schools?

A study conducted by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce concluded that enrollment at private colleges would drop by an estimate of 11 percent.

With the enrollment dropping from 1,717 to 1,650 students since the 2013-14 school year, OWU has made great strides to improve enrollment and retention of students. In February 2016, OWU’s Board of Trustees passed the resolution to support the enrollment growing to 2,020 students by 2020.

But if the “New College Compact” plan passes, enrollment could drop by 117 to 250 students.

“There isn’t any doubt in my mind that if we’re going to drop another 11 percent, it would mean wholesale, big changes at the university,” said Susan Dileno, the vice president of enrollment. “There’s no other place to build revenue, since you’re not getting tuition revenue and the only thing you can do is cut.”

This would mean cutting programs, selling physical assets as well as letting go of staff and faculty.

“I don’t know if there would be any other way to address it,” Dileno said. “It would be pretty drastic.”

For public schools, the opposite would happen.

“Given the lack of analogous cases and the lack of legislative and regulatory specificity in the Clinton proposal, our best informed guess is that the overall impact would be a 9-22 percent increase in enrollment at public colleges and universities,” according to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

Open mic switches venue

By Leah Miza, Photo Editor

Ohio Wesleyan students have hosted open mic nights for the past four years at Choffey’s Coffee and Confections, located in downtown Delaware. This year, the event started off right next door at Endangered Species Records.

Jake Myers, employee of Choffey’s, said the reasoning behind this switch was based on a fee that businesses must pay in order to play someone else’s music in the establishment.

“The money they pay goes to the musicians [who] own the songs,” he said. “The return that Choffey’s was getting from hosting the open mic wasn’t enough to keep hosting it again this year.”

Patrick Bailey, owner of Endangered Species Records, volunteered to host the open mic. “I think this is a great place for it. It’s much bigger, it’s more comfortable, it’s a music place,” he said.

Bailey said OWU students don’t know the record store exists, so he mentioned the possibility of expanding the open mic to twice a month.

“It’s the last Friday, which means Ohio Wesleyan will be here for 
 October, but they won’t be here for November or December, so we might fix that a little bit,” he said.

Senior James Ormerod, OWU student and open mic host, said by having the open mic at Endangered Species Records, they are helping with advertising the business and, in return, gaining the space.

“I think hosting it at a record store brings the focus onto the music, too, which is really what it is all about,” he said.

The first show was a success. “We were all really happy with how many people came out and purchased something from the store,” Ormerod said. “The level of musicianship was awesome to see as well. Since it went so well we’re definitely going to host it there again in October.”

New apparel store in town

By Areena Arora, Managing Editor

Two months ago, a new clothing and accessories store opened on Sandusky.

Amy Winter and her fiancé Tony Cabilovski are the co-owners of Stone and Sparrow Apparel. The store sells chalk paint, furniture, gifts and new apparel.

Store Manager Kristen Davis said, “We do a little bit of everything … we carry chalk paint and paint all of our furniture here. We do workshop classes, custom work for people … home dĂ©cor stuff, gift items and clothing.”

The new store is an expansion of Winter’s other store in Westerville.

Davis said, “We liked the feel of Delaware … it’s a small town, and we noticed that it kind of lacked clothing … there’s vintage and antique stores but nothing here carries new apparel, so we wanted to bring that into the area.”

The town, Davis said, has given a very positive feedback. “We’ve been getting a good response. People are excited we are here; they’re excited there’s something new. Delaware is up and coming … people are excited there’s new things coming in,” she said.

Another unique aspect of the store, Davis pointed out, is the original floor in the store.

She said Delaware residents appreciate seeing the original floor not covered under any layers of rugs and carpets.

The store also features a mural on its rear wall which is a picture taken from Ohio Wesleyan’s 1948 yearbook.

Coffee and antiques come together

By Areena Arora, Managing Editor

There is a new destination in town for coffee and antiques.

After Thrifty Chic, a retail clothing store closed its location at 43 N Sandusky St. this summer, Coffeeology opened its doors Sept. 3 to Delaware’s espresso and antique enthusiasts.

The new store, the first of its kind is co-owned by Delaware resident Melissa Dixon and her mother.

“It’s something we’ve talked about for the past 8 years. [My mother has] been in the antique business for the past 20 years … and I geek out about coffee,” Dixon said.

She said she is very passionate about coffee. “I went to a barista school … and learned the science behind making coffee … how the beans are roasted, and how you can taste the different regions just like wine tasting … I learned the chemistry behind it.”

She added, “We wanted to have a place where people can come in and have coffee, chat and shop.”

Dixon, originally from Long Beach, California said she liked Delaware’s small town community and her husband who is from Ohio wanted to retire and settle here.

“Until you get away from it [California], you don’t realize how social status driven it is and how needed it is to be in a small town that’s community-oriented,” she said.

Although there are three other antique stores downtown, Dixon said she is not afraid of competition.

In the antique world, she said, it is good to open up in an area where there are other antique stores. “People want to come here and it becomes a destination … As for coffee shops, everyone does things differently. The atmosphere and ingredients everywhere are different,” Dixon said.

The store is currently run by a team of six employees, including two college students and stay-at-home mothers.

The response, Dixon said, has been positive. “People like what we have to offer and they like the quality of what we have.”

The espresso bar also features baked goods which Dixon said she buys from a baker in Powell. The coffee, she said, comes from a roaster called One Line. “They have an expresso bar down in Short North [Columbus], so that’s where I get my coffee from.”

From the frozen lattes to dark choco- late mochas, many of their drinks have been very popular.

Dixon said, “We have some fresh fruit frozen smoothies, which have no sugar in them … I try to get a little bit of every- thing, so that way we hit all the different taste palates and flavors.”

While the store is just over a month old, Dixon already has plans for the store’s expansions. The basement, she said, will soon be called a “Man-Cave.” “We are going to put some of our col- lectibles down there that guys tend to like and we’re going to put a TV there and have ESPN on,” she said. “We have furniture down there currently, and some newer retail up here.”

The unique name was Dixon’s idea. She said she came up with the name six years ago and the inspiration is her approach to studying the science of coffee making.

Students join in national protest

By Courtney Dunne, Editor-in-Chief

The House of Peace and Justice (P&J) is doing its part to help national issues.

Izzy Taylor, a member of P&J, organized a bake sale on campus to raise funds for the Sacred Stone Spirit camp, which consists of people protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline.

The Dakota Access Pipeline is an oil pipeline that was approved by the Army Corps of engineers and the Sioux Tribe in North Dakota is claiming they did not go through the proper procedures to dig up the land the pipeline will go into.

The Sioux Tribe filed a lawsuit against the Army Corps of engineers earlier this year. The lawsuit alleges that the Corps violated multiple federal statutes, including the Clean Water Act, National Historic Protection Act and National Environmental Policy Act when it issued the permits.

According to the legal defense fund for the Sacred Stone Spirit Camp funding page on FundRazar, the Camp of the Sacred Stones is located between the pipeline’s proposed crossing of the Missouri River and the water intake valves for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The Camp was established on April 1 to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline.

One of the biggest concerns the Sioux people have is the contamination of the Missouri River if the pipeline ever leaks. The Missouri River is Sioux’s main source of water as well as an area of great cultural significance that holds sacred site and burial grounds.

“We are having a fundraising bake sale to bring awareness to the Dakota Access Pipeline that is going to cut through ancestral lands of the Sioux nation and potentially dirty their water,” Taylor said.

The Dakota Access Pipeline has been a source of controversy across the country and has recently been in the headlines as people have been arrested for protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Photo courtesy of Shailene Woodley's Facebook page.
Photo courtesy of Shailene Woodley’s Facebook page.

One of the most recent arrests made was Divergent star Shailene Woodley, who was arrested for trespassing with other protesters at the access pipeline’s site. She streamed the whole arrest and claimed they were arresting her because she was famous.

“The Dakota Access Pipeline is putting indigenous issues on the map that haven’t really been discussed,” said Emma Nuiry.

As of Oct. 18, the Legal Defense Fund has raised $511,531 for their cause. Their goal is to raise $700,000 for the Legal Defense Fund, which has been running since Aug. 9.

“It is important to decolonize our perceptions around the U.S. and realize that we are on taken land from indigenous people and 500 years later, we are still doing … It doesn’t just affect the Sioux nation, it affects all of us,” said Taylor.

The idea for the bake sale originally stemmed out of Columbus Day. Taylor said Columbus Day is not necessarily something to celebrate since Columbus came in and took the lands that indigenous people already inhabited.

Following the bake sale, Taylor and other members of P&J continued to raise awareness, was arrested Oct. 10 while protesting the Dakota for the Dakota Access Pipeline in a water rites ceremony, which brought water from their local bodies areas and resulted in an interfaith ceremony where they prayed over the water and then poured all the water into the Delaware Run.