Football team takes Texas

By Matt Maier, Transcript Reporter

The Ohio Wesleyan University men’s football team lost 0-56 in their game against University of Mary-Hardin Baylor (UMHB).

The Battling Bishops traveled to Belton, Texas to play against the Crusaders of UMHB.

“We [went] into this game exactly like we do for any other game,” Tom Watts, head coach, said. “We have a great group of players who have worked extremely hard to this point.”

Senior Mason Tomblin, captain of the football team, said the team’s coaches advised them not to let the defeat discourage them.

“[The team has to] practice harder than before … and stick together to make this thing pan out how we want,” Tomblin said.

A large group of seniors returned this year to lead the team during their first game.

“We [had] a lot of returning players, and along with that we have 24 seniors, which is a huge class for a school our size,” Watt said. “With so many returning players, it allows us to be more advanced at this point in the season.”

Returning player and senior Richard Poutier said, “The first game’s always really exciting for us. Whether we’re playing home or away, we’re just excited to finally line up against someone other than ourselves, and it’s always nice to play that first game against a top-ranked opponent in a great environment.”

The Bishops received funding to travel to Texas from university administrators and alumni.

“Tom Watts, our athletic and university administrators, former CFO Dan Hitchell and a large number of alumni led by Bob Morrill, Steve Dutton, Pat Huber and others helped put this together,” said Roger Ingles, athletic director at OWU. “Without our alumni support, we could not have made this happen.”

The Bishops’ next game will be against Wittenberg University at 7 p.m. on Sept. 17 in Selby Stadium.

 

WCSA selects Rowan Hannan as chairperson to its Committee on Racial and Cultural Diversity

By Transcript Staff

At the Sept. 5 meeting, Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA) announced Rowan Hannan the chairperson to its Committee on Racial and Cultural Diversity.

According to an email sent to all students by WCSA sent on Aug. 30, this 8-member committee will work to identify and address issues faced by underrepresented students on campus.

Hannan said, “I haven’t been on WCSA before. I have led clubs (PRIDE, BOMI club) and am on my third year at SAGE, but I wanted to make change at a different level. I think WCSA really has the power to shape this university and provide a louder voice, especially for underrepresented platforms.”

“I’d like to push WCSA toward a more diverse senate, and encourage other committees to consider different backgrounds when planning their projects,” they added.

In the committee’s first report to the senate, Hannan announced that the committee would be working on sensitivity training for WCSA members, creating a buddy system for international students and providing incentives for making dean’s list, among other things.

Bob Wood, director of Public Safety, announced the starting date for Colum-Bus – an initiative by WCSA and Public Safety to provide cheap transportation to Columbus on a bi-weekly basis. The first bus ride is scheduled to depart from Roy Rike parking lot on Saturday, Sept. 10 at 6:30 p.m. The round trip will cost students $5 and will make multiple trips to Columbus University Gateway. The tickets can be purchased online through Columbus Coach’s website.

Wood also announced flashing lights were established at Rowland Avenue, earlier this month, and encouraged students to use them. In his report, he also mentioned changes in campus parking; particularly changing Selby parking lots from C parking to B parking.

Senators junior Ryan Bishop and sophomore Caroline Hamlin addressed the full senate on developments being made by the Sustainability Task Force.

Bishop said one of the task force’s main goal is to get the university to hire a new Sustainability Coordinator by 2018. He said the plan is to have the student activity fee will sponsor a part of the costs for the new position.

The Sustainability Task Force meets Wednesdays at noon on the second floor of Merrick Hall. Hamlin invited senators to come to the meetings, and said it is an open meeting.

Makeover: Slocum edition

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Slocum lobby under renovation. Photo courtesy of Areena Arora

Areena Arora, Managing Editor

When students return to campus in fall, they have much to look forward to. A new welcome center for the Admissions Office in Slocum Hall is one of them.

As alumni week came to a close earlier this month, Slocum was closed for remodeling. The lobby on the ground floor of Slocum is being remodeled and the inside wall is being replaced by glass panels, while no changes are being made to the other floors.

The total budget for the project is $300,000. This funding, according to President Rock Jones, comes from proceeds from an endowment that can be used at the president’s discretion for projects on campus.

Jones said, “While many campuses of our sort now are spending millions of dollars on new welcome centers, this modest investment allows us to showcase a historic building with a setting that welcomes students and creates a fabulous first impression of OWU.”

The project, scheduled to be completed by the first week of August is being done by Thomas and Marker Construction company based in Columbus, Ohio.

Sarah Burns, assistant director of Admissions said, “We’re getting a new welcome center in Slocum … It’s not going to be as modern as Merrick though.”

The Admissions office is temporarily located in Merrick Hall for the summer.

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Burns said, “A new coffee bar and some new furniture is being added to make it (the lobby) more inviting.”

Susan Dileno, vice president for enrolment management said, “The building wasn’t making a very good first impression … We had issues with the lobby given that it’s very small.”

The biggest change, according to Dileno, is addition of more seating capacity to the admissions lobby and replacement of an inside wall with glass.

“We had a secret architect that came in and toured the campus, and he graded us a D in terms of Admissions space,” said Dileno. “A lot of colleges are putting up a welcome center. This is comparatively modest … and a lot of it is cosmetic.”

Along with remodeling, asbestos removal also is being done.

Peter Schantz, Director of Physical Plant Planning and Operations said, “There is asbestos that needed to be remediated in the building, but it is not the cause of the renovation … The asbestos containing material was encapsulated and does not need to be removed until such a renovation occurs.”

Burns said, “The asbestos in Slocum was underneath concrete … no one was ever in any danger from it and now it’s all gone.”

Among other changes, a mini kitchenette will be added to the lobby as well and the carpeting will be replaced by tiles.

Gabbert’s file now under review by municipal prosecutor

Gabbert

Gabbert. Photo courtesy of battlingbishops.com

Areena Arora, Managing Editor

The Delaware County prosecutor’s office confirmed Luke Gabbert’s file was closed earlier this week, and no charges for felony will be filed.

Julie Datko, public information officer said Gabbert’s file will not be presented to grand jury.

Earlier this year, Gabbert was found in the creek south of 28 Franklin St., on the morning of Feb. 7 and was pronounced dead at 10:40 a.m. that morning.

Hypothermia and an injury in the upper cervical spine caused his death, according to the autopsy released by Delaware County coroner’s office.

The file is currently under review with the Municipal prosecutor.

*This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Letter to the editor

soapbox

Letter to the Editor

Ohio Wesleyan University Transcript

Monday, April 25, 2016

To Whom It May Concern:

As former Editor-in- Chief and Managing Editor of the Ohio Wesleyan University Transcript, we were dismayed by the recent decision to prohibit student journalists’ access to faculty meetings.

This is not the first time the faculty and administration has attempted to restrict access. During our tenure on the Transcript, then University President David Warren refused to speak to student reporters and would only speak to the Editor-in- Chief. So Tricia (we still call her Minnow) and others camped outside of his office daily to request interviews. Eventually, he relented. On our graduation day back in 1992, he said to Minnow, “I wish you well, but I will not miss you.”

We encourage the Transcript staff to continue to attempt access to faculty meetings, and report on each instance that you are denied entry. Do not let this story wither over summer break.

We also encourage the journalism faculty to guide these student journalists through this situation to learn how to build solid professional relationships in the midst of covering a controversial story. Out in the real world of news, relationships matter.

To the faculty, a warning: the student journalists that you brush aside today will quickly become the alumni from whom you will seek financial support tomorrow. The decision to ban access appears timed to take advantage of the end of the semester and its distractions. The only thing transparent here is your motive. What are you trying to hide? We recognize that as a private institution the faculty may have occasional need for closed-session discussion of select items, and an outlet exists already for this purpose in the executive session of faculty meetings. However, the strong preference ought to be toward transparency, and secrecy must be the exception.

The journalism alumni are hearing whispers of threats to both faculty and students in retribution for fighting this ridiculous and unnecessary policy. Shame on the administration if this is true. You have put the journalism alumni in the heart-wrenching position of evaluating how we support our beloved alma mater. Do we cut off our contributions and the matching gifts of our employers in a show of solidarity? Or do we designate our gifts specifically to the Transcript in order to continue to empower student journalists who follow in our footsteps?

In the 20-plus years that have elapsed since our departure from OWU and entry into the real world of journalism, we have witnessed first-hand the erosion of the public’s representation via the media through corporate ownership, staff cuts, consolidation and a steady march to the bottom in terms of quality and resources. We fear that this incident is a continuation of the same trend, and that the proponents of secrecy within the faculty are keenly aware of this and using it to their advantage.

Bear in mind, faculty members: you – even those who advocate against the transparency we seek – are the ones who taught us to think critically, to question authority, to effect positive change in our surroundings. The student journalists with whom you are in conflict are simply living up to that mandate – the single most significant element of a liberal arts education.

To the Transcript staff, we say congratulations on continuing the tradition of excellence for the oldest independent college student run newspaper in the history of our nation. We take great pride in the faded papers in our personal archives, our OWU journalism degrees on our office walls, and the war stories that came with them. It is truly thrilling for us to follow campus news through social media. When we began our journey in the JO Department we lugged electric typewriters to Slocum Hall. We used a wax roller and scissors to paste the layout together by hand in the wee morning hours in order to hand deliver the spec sheets to the printer on time.

To the graduating seniors, we wish you continued success as you enter the world of professional journalism. We hope you take this experience with you as a valuable lesson: Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. When someone in a position of power stands in your way or asks you to kill a story, it is a sign that you must dig deeper. You will encounter this daily. When you do, we hope your training from the OWU JO Department will serve you as well as it has served us.

Good luck!

Jason Cohen

Former Transcript Editor-in- Chief

Tricia “Minnow” Taylor-Lyphout, MPH, MBA

Former Transcript Managing Editor

Ohio Wesleyan University

Journalism Department

Class of 1992

Jason and Tricia also served on the Journalism Student Board during their time at OWU.

Letter to the Editor

soapbox     To the members of the Ohio Wesleyan University community:

The April 18 action by the OWU faculty members should be reversed immediately. Although OWU, as a private institution, is well within its legal rights to be as secretive as it wishes, closing the doors of its faculty meetings is not only detrimental to the university community’s ability to function, it sends a message of elitism and paternalism to the students. The faculty’s action demonstrates that the university’s mission, as described on the website, is either hypocritical or out of touch with the mindset of those who purport to educate OWU students.

In part, the university website states:

Ohio Wesleyan provides them [the students] with a bounty of interconnected experiences—across disciplines, across cultures, even across continents. After our students graduate, we expect them to be insatiable problem solvers—and agents of change….

We are active and engaged with the world. We have thoughtful opinions, big ideas, and we share them in a rich campus conversation….

If the faculty members actually believe in providing a “bounty of interconnected experiences,” they cannot fail to note that their action demonstrates that they believe students do not understand the concept: The faculty members have shown that they believe students are incapable of synthesis, are incapable of understanding anything beyond the confines of the classroom, and therefore will not understand the implications of the faculty action. Faculty members apparently also believe that students are incapable of understanding what economics professor Bob Gitter means by a “chilling effect” on discussion. What Gitter means, of course, is that the students’ role models are too craven to express their opinions in an open forum – a lovely lesson in evading accountability.

“Rich campus conversation,” indeed.

Sincerely,

Arthur L. Ranney, Ph.D.

OWU Visiting Professor (1989-1990)

Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin-Platteville

Contact: 608.330.1950 (mobile, preferred)

ranneya@uwplatt.edu

 

 

V.P. for student engagement and success is announced

Areena Arora, Managing Editor

In an email addressed to the Ohio Wesleyan community on April 29, President Rock Jones announced Dwayne Todd has been hired as the new vice president for student engagement and success, beginning this summer.

Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Todd currently serves as the vice president for student affairs at Columbus College of Arts and Design. He has been in that position since 2001.

According to a press release by Cole Hatcher, director of media and community relations, Todd earned his doctorate in higher education administration from the Ohio State University, master of divinity from Southwestern Theological Seminary in Fort Worth and bachelor of music from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.

Todd said, “I have wanted to return to a small residential liberal arts college setting for a long time.  What specifically drew me to OWU is the deep passion for learning, the strong sense of community, and the sincere commitment of the institution to provide transformative experiences for students.”

He will join the university this summer and report to Jones, who said the breadth and depth of Todd’s 21-year higher education career will benefit OWU’s ongoing work to provide a premier liberal arts experience, according to the press release.

In November 2015, a search committee was announced with the charge of searching for a new leader of student affairs for the university, chaired by Vicki DiLillo, professor of psychology.

DiLillo is quoted in the press release saying, “Dwayne’s clear commitment to the provision of a student-centered experience guides his implementation of creative initiatives that foster a sense of community for the students he serves.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look closer: being a mindful consumer

An organic pineapple plantation in Costa Rica. Photo by Olivia Lease.
An organic pineapple plantation in Costa Rica. Photos by Olivia Lease.

Olivia Lease, Online Editor

I try to see stories in everything I purchase.

I wonder whose hands made the sweater resting on my shoulders or where the watermelon I am currently eating was grown, picked, washed and perfectly sliced.

I don’t like to go shopping very often. There are so many options that it is no longer exciting but overwhelming. I can walk into a store and see thousands of cheaply priced goods in front of me. What I don’t see are the hidden costs, I have to search for the real stories.

Organic pineapples being grown in Costa Rica, most of which to be transported elsewhere. Photo by Olivia Lease.
Organic pineapples being grown in Costa Rica, most of which to be transported elsewhere.

I think it’s time for us to acknowledge the fact that we live in a consumer-centric society made possible by the hard work of others. People we will most likely never meet but whose stories matter.

But first, let’s acknowledge the fact that our supermarkets no longer abide by the seasons.

You can buy a pineapple at any time, regardless of that fact that we are not living in Brazil or Paraguay, where the plant originated. It has now been spread throughout South America. I visited Costa Rica over winter break and was able to a tour a plantation.

There, some of the crops we saw would eventually travel over 3,000 miles to reach California while some would go even further destinations in the U.K.

A single pod of fruit from which palm oil is extracted. Photo taken in Costa Rica by Olivia Lease.
A single pod of fruit from which palm oil is extracted.

When we walk into a store, we don’t see the hours of hard labor or the elaborate transportation system it took to give us more choices. Variety is simply something we’ve become accustomed to.

While in Costa Rica, I also had the chance to tour a palm oil plantation.

The edible vegetable oil is used in 50 percent of all packaged products in America. It is extracted from the fruit grown on African palm trees. These trees are originally from Western Africa but are now grown wherever heat and rainfall are abundant enough.

On the tour, I passed workers yielding machetes. The heat was suffocating despite the early time of day. Poisonous snakes are common in the field and a constant threat for workers to be aware of. One boy helped wrangle the cattle used for transport. This was their everyday routine, a dangerous job they had become accustomed to.

Across the world, forests are being slashed down and indigenous people relocated in order to make room for these crops, just to keep up with our demand.

America, the land of the free, is unwilling to admit that we also are a catalyst for conflict and destruction. 

Wokers herd cattle used for transportation of fruit from palm oil trees. Photo taken in Costa Rica by Olivia Lease.
Wokers herd cattle used for transportation of fruit from palm oil trees.

Look in your backpack, pick out a few things. How many of them say “made in the U.S.A.”? I don’t think it should be a point of pride to have these products, but more so, a standard.

There a several things you can do help slow the global economy, the best being to buy local items (and if it’s produce, make sure it’s in season). This phrase is so much more than a trendy consumer choice. It’s an effort to be a part of your community and a chance to know the story behind what you are purchasing.