Student called from person claiming to be FBI agent

By Areena Arora, Managing Editor

By the time you’re done reading this piece, I might be in jail, arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), or, I might be deported back to my homeland, India.

On Sept. 6, at precisely 5:34 p.m., I received a call from an Akron, Ohio phone number.

“Hello,” I answered.

“This is a call from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Am I speaking with Areena Arora?”

My heart skipped a beat. I trembled, “yes,” replaying the last couple of days in my head to recall anything illegal I had maybe done. None.

The person on the other end proceeded to inform me how this was a final warning call from the FBI, before I was to be arrested. He warned me that if I hung up, an arrest warrant would be issued for me.

After about 11 minutes of hearing him accuse me of defaulting on some sort of an education tax, I hung up.

I should have done so sooner. It was a scam.

I called and let both Public Safety (P.S.) and the International and Off Campus Programs Office know, who both reassured me that it was a scam, and that I needn’t worry.

But here’s the problem. The number the scammers called me from, was in fact a registered FBI Akron number. How could this possibly be true?

I called P.S. again.

Flash forward to two days later, I got another call. Same script, same arrest warrant threats, except this time, the call was from Delaware Police’s (DPD), non-emergency number.

P.S. connected me with Captain Adam Moore at DPD and a formal police complaint was filed; On charges of my scammers impersonating federal officers and threating to arrest me.

Here’s the lesson to be learned; If you get a similar call, do not panic. Definitely do not let them threaten you for as long as I let them (11 minutes!). Contact your local police, immediately.

Do not confirm any information. They might be calling just to ask, “Is this really your address/ your bank account number.” Do not say yes. Just hang up.

It doesn’t end here. Make sure you contact your bank, and change your generic passwords and ATM pins, as a precautionary step. Update all your social media profiles to heighten security and make as much information as possible, private.

The weirdest part about my scam incident was the extent of my personal information the strangers had and that unlike usual spam emails, they did not ask me for anything. For instance, they knew about my visa status, my employment and tax information, majors and my postal address.

However, simple psychology; they were trying to scare me. But in the real world, the FBI does not call people to arrest them; at least not without sending any prior warnings in mail. Even then, they do not threaten to arrest you should you hang up.

According to a P.S. advisory, “the FBI does not call private citizens asking for money.”

Hope my story serves you as a reminder should you fall victim to a scam like this. And if it does happen, take immediate steps. Laugh off the incident, like I did, but not before securing all your information and reaching out to the local police.

Additionally, you must also file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov and/or with the local Attorney General.

For additional resources, contact Public Safety at 740-368-2222 or Delaware Police at 740-203-1111.

By the way, I informed my advisor the next day, and while he did reassure me that it was a scam, he also said if it wasn’t, he would visit me in prison, though he said he wouldn’t pay for my bail.

Clinton hopes for future with debt-free college experience

By Cirrus Robinson, Transcript Correspondent

Tuition for Ohio’s four­-year universities rose by five percent, or by $523, since 2008.

Pressure from college-­age voters and paying parents rests on the major 2016 presidential candidates to make shifts in debt percentages and the quality of higher education for future generations.

The elimination of tuition and a utopian future with debt ­free college is the vision that democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has prided herself on since the beginning of her campaign trail.

Facing much criticism, her administration laid a concrete plan to restore and expand Pell Grants to cover low and middle-class families in their possible debts, set an income requirement for those who would be exempt from tuition costs and to create on­-campus work mandates to help relieve the cost of student attendance.

Clinton looks to galvanize millennial voters to get the majority on board with her efforts for college students.

“What we’ve been basically doing on this campus is trying to register voters on campus and make sure they are registered at the right address,” said freshman Evan Williams, a contributor to OWU’s student efforts to increase student participation in the upcoming election.

OWU students seem to favor Clinton or Gary Johnson, Williams said.

“But our real goal is to make sure people have the right address and access to information they need,” he said.”

Republican candidate Donald Trump, however, has made less explicit notions about plans for higher education in terms of finance.

His administration has given few specifics, but hint that his stance during the fall campaign will greatly contrast that of the Clinton campaign in terms of debt­ free tuition.

He criticizes logical backing for her motives, particularly regarding funding and legislation for loans.

“Many of the ideas on which the Trump campaign is working involve a complete overhaul of the federal student loan system,” wrote Sam Clovis, policy director of Trump’s campaign, for Inside Higher Ed.

“Moving the government out of lending and restoring that role to private banks, as was the case before President Clinton partially and President Obama fully shifted loan origination from private lenders to the government.”

This outline would theoretically allow local banks to lend to students within their geographical reach, and to wield more power in deciding which students are deserving of dollars based on not only their current status, but also what they can hypothetically achieve in the future.

This would likely make loans more exclusive based on degree of need and prospective majors, as it works toward spending less federal money on loans that will not result in economic product.

Gary Johnson, the prospective third­ party and libertarian candidate, has stressed the elimination of Common Core and a majority of policies that give the federal government access to all standards of education.

He proposes terminating the Board of Education to give both secondary and higher education students the opportunity to be directed and given opportunities locally, rather than under federal mandates.

The upcoming fall election leaves room for all candidates to provide their final thoughts and proposals in the college controversy.

 

 

Fresh Start rises on Sandusky Street

By Leia Miza, Photo Editor

If you didn’t know, the most delicious cinnamon rolls are being made right here in town.

Delaware’s newest cafe and bakery, Fresh Start, opened its doors to the community this past July, offering fresh baked good, pastries and Crimson Cup Coffee.

Co-Owner, Todd Daughenbaugh, Delaware resident of 14 years, said he “lived in Columbus, slept in Delaware” and aspired to finally connect with the community and start fresh, hence the name of his new business.

“I really wanted to be more connected to the community, or find something, a business that the community really needs and wants and I think we found that niche here, with great pastries, baked good and hopefully even more deserts.” he said.

Ron Lawson, manager of Fresh Start, added  “The reason why wanted to open in Delaware was the fact that Buehler’s had closed down and so there was a need immediately because of that. But our heart was to bring great coffee and great baked goods anyway, and I think that’s something downtown Delaware needed.”

Photo by Leia Miza.
Photo by Leia Miza

By walking into the bakery on any morning, you will notice that business is booming. “We have people in everyday that are new but then we have a lot of people who are regular customers already. Eight weeks in, to have as many regular customers as we do, that’s a very positive sign.” said Lawson.

Daughenbaugh said it’s been amazing, and the community has been very supportive. “People really appreciate the quality and the customer service and the great products, great food, pastries and coffee, things like that.” he said.

And although, Home Slices is right down the street, competition is not something of much concern to Fresh Start.

“The only competition that we see is that they’re on the corner which is a prime location and we’re a little further up the street. But everything we do is different than anywhere you’ll find baked goods in Delaware or anywhere close.” said Lawson.

His wife, Lynette Lawson, runs the kitchen as head baker. “All of our doughs are hand laminated.. We don’t use any frozen batters or any frozen breads. Everything is made from scratch.” she said.

From her spinach rosettes to her grandmother’s cinnamon roll recipe, Lawson explains that there’s a strong demand for all the products.

Clinton caged in cutout

By Liz Hardaway, A&E Editor

The Delaware County Republican Party headquarters has one message for people window shopping on Sandusky Street: Hillary Clinton is for sale and should be imprisoned.

Before entering the doors of the downtown Republican location, a cutout of Hillary Clinton in a cage is displayed, with a for sale sign plastered on the window, right across the street from their democratic counterpart the Ohio Together office.

“It’s the classic representation of what a lot of republicans think about Hillary Clinton,” said Alex Lutz, a junior and avid republican on campus.  

Holly Adams, an Ohio woman who supports Donald Trump and volunteer, agreed with the sign, stating how Clinton was not an appropriate role-model for young girls. Showing a chart, Adams pointed out the four factors that voters from both sides care about most: jobs, economy, terrorism, national security and healthcare.

Starting with jobs, Adams stated that Trump has created 200,000 jobs across the globe for over 50 years. According to an analysis conducted by CNN Money and PrivCo, which researches private companies such as the one run by Trump, there are only 34,000 jobs attributed to Donald Trump.

Adams also admired Trump for not owing other companies or big-business favors, compared to Clinton who asks her friends for money and uses ten percent of this money for charitable work and “takes the other 90 percent and she and her family and friends fly around the world,” said Adams. The American Institute of Philanthropy concluded, however that 88% of the funds are used for programs and charity.

“We think it’s really important as women that are raising smart, strong nice daughters to understand what kind of role model we want for her and Hillary Clinton is not it,” said Adams.

“She’s the only candidate that stands for access to women’s health care, closing the wage gap and confronting the issue of violence against women” disagrees Sarah Foster, a junior and volunteer for Ohio Together.

“[Clinton] even has a plan for addressing specifically campus-based sexual assault. She’s been a lifelong fighter for women’s rights as well as children’s,” Foster said. “And Donald Trump…has never been anything close to a fighter, for anything other than his own wealth…he runs a campaign based in bigotry and misogyny.”

Republicans, such as Lutz and Adams, admire Trump’s business ethic and think that is a strong asset for his campaign. For small-business owners especially, the re-negotiations of trade deals are believed to bring a lot money into the economy.

“When [Trump] first started running, I was excited that he was not a politician. He tapped into the frustration of the American people…everybody’s bought out by special interest groups” said Lutz.

Republicans are skeptical of Clinton’s involvement with Benghazi and her e-mail scandal.

“The conclusion that I’ve come to is that she was irresponsible with that information. That’s not a virtue of a president, not to mention her liberal policies do not align with how I think,” said Lutz.

FBI targets OWU Pakistani students

By Areena Arora, Managing Editor

According to an email sent out on Tuesday, Sept. 13, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) contacted the university to meet with enrolled students who are Pakistani nationals.

The email sent by Director of Media Relations, Cole Hatcher, was signed by Bob Wood, director of Public Safety. The meeting was scheduled to happen on Thursday, Sept. 15, but was later canceled when the notice caused real anxiety among students, according to Dwayne Todd, V.P. for student engagement and success.

According to the initial email to the students, “The purpose of the meeting [was] to discuss specific organizations based in Pakistan.”

Attendance, according to the email, was voluntary, and students were encouraged to bring friends, regardless of their nationality.

Senior Khadija Salman said, “My initial confusion led to me being just angered by the justice system and federal agencies of our country. I felt attacked and targeted as they were only asking Pakistani nationals to attend the session. Even if it is voluntary, it comes off as racial profiling and as a college student with no immediate family around it concerns me. It is disruptive to our lives and makes us feel like we are being held accountable for the actions of a few just because we belong to the same state.”

She added, “Internationals students are required to go through a background check when they apply for a visa. For the FBI to come on campus, to question us about certain organizations in Pakistan in attempts of gathering information and making a public ordeal about this is just ridiculous. Even if it is voluntary, I take it as a personal attack and I find this act of theirs extremely offensive.”

Salman is a dual U.S. and Pakistani citizen who heard about the meeting from other Pakistani students. She did not receive the email, she said.  

Federal Bureau of Investigation seal
Federal Bureau of Investigation seal

Sophomore Zafir Hayat, also from Pakistan had a different reaction. He said, “I feel indifferent to the fact that they did not end up coming … I do believe, however, that the reaction to the email was blown a tad bit out of proportion. After all it was a voluntary meeting and if somebody did not want to attend had that option.”

Todd said he does not know the exact date when the FBI contacted the school or why exactly so.

He said, “We don’t know for sure why the FBI wanted to speak with Pakistani students other than their stated intent to learn more about some organizations within Pakistan.  There were multiple colleges who were contacted at the same time with the same request.  I am told that the FBI frequently makes such requests to college administrators about international students from a variety of countries around the world.”

Salman said, “A part of me would love to see the entire Pakistani community on campus boycott it. But on the other hand I am very much curious to hear about what they have to say and exactly what they were planning to ask us about. It’s absolutely appalling to see just how far federal agencies and those with authority will go to get what they want without thinking about the implications of their actions. The Pakistani community on OWU’s campus has peacefully coexisted with other students and has even integrated within our communities.

Todd said, “I regret that the FBI’s request made many of our students question their sense of belonging as international students.  We deeply value the presence of our Pakistani students, and all international students, on campus and know that they add so much to the rich tapestry that makes up our campus community.  We are consulting with legal counsel to determine our legal requirement to comply with such requests in the future.”

Hayat said, he would be willing to go to the session, if it happens, and see what the meeting was about and what the FBI needed help with.

WCSA talks budgets at meeting

By Liz Hardaway, A&E Editor

The Wesleyan Student Council of Affairs discussed reducing the student activity fee, proposed updating the furniture in residential halls and revealed their budget plans during their meetings on Sept. 12 and 19.

On Sept. 12, Sam Schurer, vice president of WCSA, informed the council of the budgets for their four accounts: rollback, operating, initiatives and an allocation account. The allocation account is intended to account for 85 percent of the funds. The budgets are $80,000, $4,000, $45,000 and $60,000 respectively.

Schurer also said that the WCSA has a lot more funds than budgeted for.

The rollback account contains $201,995, which was money intended to be pulled out, but wasn’t until this year. This was simply because of miscommunication between WCSA and the accounting department.

The operating account has $61,540, and the initiatives account holds $93,508. Finally, the allocation account used for clubs and organizations on campus has $335,438 more than the $275,000 that the budget entails.

“We didn’t realize where the money was going each year,” said Jess Choate, the president of WCSA.

Each account has its own function within WCSA and the campus. The operating account is used for WCSA elections and advertising campus activities, whereas initiatives provide income for mission trips and campus counseling services.

The allocation funds are used for funding clubs, organizations and budget requests. The rollback account is all the money budgeted that wasn’t used the preceding year. In the past, they’ve used the latter for new hydration stations and the recent ColumBus.

Dwayne Todd, vice president of student engagement and success, also proposed installing new study tables, chairs and soft seating in Welch and Smith Halls.

No new furniture will be added in Stuyvesant Hall because it was renovated recently. New furniture for the Small Living Units (SLUs) are part of the construction budget.

Furniture in fraternities also need to be replaced, but housing agreements for fraternities have to be negotiated, Todd said.

The cost for the installation of new furniture will amount to $164,000.

When a student asked why WCSA should fund the replacement of furniture, Todd said it was because the university does not have the money, but WCSA does.

Schurer said the committee could restructure the budget as they see fit, and he wants to start normalizing the budget to prevent the accumulation of funds from being a pattern.

At the Sept. 19 meeting, the Student Life Committee informed the council that they heard students’ concerns about the Wi-Fi, and are constructing a resolution acknowledging these concerns.

Despite having a surplus of funds, the Budget Committee presented no budget requests, due to the lack of clubs requests for funds.

“Put in requests, as many as you can … speakers, performances, anything. We need to spend that money so it doesn’t go into rollover again,” Daud Baz, treasurer, said.

Colum-Bus kicks off program Sept. 10

By Areena Arora, Managing Editor

For students of Ohio Wesleyan, rides to Columbus on Saturday nights just got cheaper.

On Saturday, Sept. 10, Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA) launched its new program called Colum-Bus, a bi-weekly ride to Columbus for $5 a round trip.

The busses, contracted from Columbus Coach departed from Roy Rike, in three different trips, and dropped students off at the Columbus University Gateway.

The first trip to Columbus was made at 6:30 p.m., and the last one back was at 1:30 a.m. Only two students along with Bob Wood, director of Public Safety, rode the first bus.

A total of 12 tickets were sold for the three trips on the first day, out of which only 6 students rode the bus, according to Wood.

The program was initiated by WCSA and they (not sure what pronoun to use for WCSA) set aside funds to cover part of the total cost. The budget, amounting to $18,720 was passed last year by WCSA. According to WCSA Treasurer Daud Baz, this budget is for a 2 year trial run of the program.

Senior Diana Muzina, chair of Student Life Committee on WCSA said, “Tickets through Columbus Coach are more expensive than five dollars, so this was an effort to keep the price reasonable.” 

It is a first of its kind program, according to Wood. “We had talked about this before and we do from time to time run special buses to special events … but this is the first regularly scheduled trips on an ongoing basis …,” he said.

The program, however is not permanent yet. Muzina said, “We’re booking the busses 1-2 months in advance. After these first couple of rides we will determine the reception of the student body. Depending on the response and usage by students we will decide to continue the program or not … We are hoping that students are excited for this initiative.”

The next ride is scheduled for Sept. 23 and tickets are available online through Columbus Coach’s website.

Faculty approves new majors

By Transcript Staff

 

Two new majors and one new minor along with three new courses were approved at the faculty meeting on Sept. 19, according to several faculty members interviewed after the meeting.

The data analytics major and the data in society minor were approved in a secret ballot resulting in a 68-19 vote.

According to the written proposal, “The data analytics major will give students the ability to: (a) frame questions about an open problem, (b) develop the questions into methodologies and algorithms, (c) mine and process data to answer the questions and (d) reason ethically about use of data and the framing of questions.”

The new nutrition major received a little more opposition, yet was approved with a 64-23 vote.

“It is fairly common for the faculty to talk a lot and hash out details vigorously even when they plan to pass something,” Nancy Comorau, associate professor of English, said.

According to the written major proposal, “The major in nutrition prepares students to pursue careers in nutrition dietetics, community health, health education, food justice and advocacy, food industry work, and related graduate programs.”

“The new majors are not changing who we are, we are augmenting who we are,” said President Rock Jones. Classes for both new majors will begin in fall of 2017.

Arabic 110 and 111 were two new full unit temporary courses approved along with a new full unit computer science course called Foundations of Computer Science.

According to the faculty meeting agenda, Arabic classes will be structured like other introductory courses in the modern foreign languages department.

 

Foundations of computer science will serve as an introductory course to the method- ological tools used in the study of computer science, according to the meeting agenda.

Aside from two majors being approved at the faculty meeting, enrollment updates were also shared, according to the meeting agenda. Net tuition revenue went up by $541,705 with this year’s enrollment.

According to Professor Thomas Wolber, Dr. Nancy Comorau and Jones, some con- cerns about the new majors shared by several faculty members pertained to the placement of the new majors in a liberal arts setting.

Chemistry professor Dan Vogt, in response to Jones and University Governance Com- mittees’ reports, made a speech to the entire faculty. According to Wolber, Vogt talked about his disappointment with the administration’s actions lately.

Vogt also accused the administration of breaking promises and not operating in accor- dance with the faculty handbook, according to Wolber.

Vogt however, declined to comment.

Aside from the approval of two new majors, Jones updated the faculty on the state of the university. Some topics included Connect Today, Create Tomorrow funding cam- paign, enrollment numbers, 2020 planning initiatives, and much more.

Jones said he will use funding from the President’s Discretionary Endowments for new initiatives to attract and retain students, enhance the university revenue stream and strengthen the mission of the university.

He also informed the faculty of issues where the university falls short in terms of choices for prospective students. Some of those vulnerabilities, he said, include being a rural and remote campus, no high discounted rates in tuition and the campus culture be- ing highly resistant to meaningful change. He also proposed solutions to these issues.

Keep an eye out in the Transcript for stories on topics from the faculty meeting.

*The Transcript was not granted access to the faculty meeting, following a resolution passed by the faculty in April 2016. The information here was provided by sources who talked to The Transcript as well as primary documents shared with the Transcript, along with a brief press kit provided by the secretary of the provost.

*This story was updated on Sept. 22, 2016

Men’s golf wins Gatorade Collegiate

By Julia Snyder, Transcript Reporter

Ohio Wesleyan University’s men’s golf team competed in the Gatorade Collegiate in Dover, Ohio at Zoar Golf Club Sept. 3 and 4 and came in first of 10 teams.

The team shot scores of 282 and 297 respectively, earning a total team score of 579, three strokes above par, beating out Allegheny by 16 strokes.

Sophomore Adam Armstrong contributed to the total team score by shooting a combined score of 137, placing second in the tournament by one stroke.

The other three contributors were freshmen Will Efkeman, Aunders Erickson and Shane Hoben, shooting combined scores of 147, 147 and 150 respectively.

Coach Ian Miller said the team was well prepared and he is looking forward to seeing the growth of the team while working together and pushing each other to improve.

“[We] executed our plans for attacking the course and responded well to holding the lead after round one,” Miller said.

Armstrong said he feels pretty confident that the team can finish top three of every tournament.

“There should be no reason why we shouldn’t. We did really well, it’s the first tournament we’ve won since 2014,” Armstrong said.

Junior Zach Shahrokhi said he was excited about having beat Allegheny.

“We beat Allegheny, which is good because they were runners-up in the conference last year and we were happy to beat them because that shows that we’re competitive within the conference and we are capable of beating [Allegheny] in conference this year,” Shahrokhi said.

The team has six freshmen and Shahrokhi said this is the most competitive team he has played with.

“The freshman have added a lot of talent and depth to the team which has helped us to improve our consistency,” Shahrokhi said.

Miller said, “The assimilation of the freshmen into the team has been very good. We started that process last spring—getting the incoming freshmen talking and keeping up with each other throughout the summer. That has helped the returners become familiar with them and their abilities and that led to an immediate acceptance and respect.”

The team is more competitive now and they are looking forward to winning some more tournaments and playing better in conference this coming spring.

“We’re looking forward to one of our home tournaments this coming weekend and feel confident we can beat the other teams at Plum Brook Country Club in Sandusky, Ohio,” Armstrong said.

Sustainability Task Force meets to discuss goals

By Evan Walsh, Transcript Reporter

Members of Ohio Wesleyan’s Council of Student Affairs are working with faculty and administrators to make the university more environmentally friendly.  

The Sustainability Task Force meets weekly and discusses those ways in which the university can prioritize sustainability.

The task force is currently led by WCSA representatives Caroline Hamlin and Ryan Bishop, but was begun independently prior to this year.

On Sept. 7, Hamlin and Bishop spoke with faculty about the possibility of hiring a program coordinator. Bishop said he feels this is an important first step in committing to the group’s goals.

“Our focus is to find someone to take this position because everyone [from academic and non-academic departments] has commitments of their own,” Bishop said. “Pushing for those big goals will be more achievable if we have someone there.”

Included in last week’s discussion was the proposed creation of an Environmental Sustainability major. This would require restructuring the curriculum of several courses and finding qualified professors.

Professors from several different departments, as well as non-academic personnel, attended the meeting. They expressed their optimism and concerns, particularly about budgetary choices.

Besides providing students with a new learning opportunity, the Sustainability Task Force’s goal is to make their “green” impact in a more concrete way.

By making changes to OWU’s residential facilities, students would apply what they learn in their classes to improve the condition of the place where they live.

Their plan is to make certain, unspecified living units LEED certified by 2018.

To encourage participation, students involved in Sustainability Task Force projects may receive academic credit.

Students familiar with the group’s goals are receptive to them and want to see these initiatives affect important changes.

According to Sumner “Chappie” Wick, “success would make us a role model for other small liberal arts schools. I’m glad that the OWU community is taking this seriously.”

Bishop said he agrees with Wick’s sentiment. “We are in a conceptual, building stage right now. A lot of our ideas are good ones but we need professional help, and money for professional help, if we want to succeed,” he said.