Ohio Wesleyan men’s lacrosse team is coming off one of their best seasons in the program’s history in 2015. This year, they are ranked 11th in the preseason USILA Division III coaching polls for the upcoming season.
The Battling Bishops finished with an overall record of 18-1. They lost to Gettysburg in the quarterfinal of the Division III NCAA tournament.
The Bishops won the NCAC conference and recorded their first undefeated regular season finishing 14-0.
Freshmen, Steven Hildebrand (left) and Jack Harvey (right) warm up during a practice. Photo by Leia Miza.
A total of nine OWU seniors are returning from last year’s team, one of which is senior captain and defender Jordan Carlson.
“I know that we can be as good if not better this year. We have a lot of guys from last year’s team [who] were contributing to our success,” Carlson said.
The team is looking to recover after losing 10 seniors who were major contributors to last year’s team, including some who were All-American and All-Conference players. But Carlson said he was optimistic that the incoming freshman class can fill that void.
“This year’s freshman class is very talented and a lot of them are going to be playing for us at some point this season,” Carlson said.
Players express their excitement for the season to begin when they play Augustana College on Feb. 20 at home in Selby Stadium. The next game will be on the road at Otterbein on Feb. 24.
“The team’s goals for this year are the same as they are every year,” said junior defenseman Justin Smith. “We want to win the NCAC regular season, win the NCAC tournament, make the NCAA National Tournament and win a National Championship.”
This year, the team will have six coaches. Head Coach Mike Plantholt returned along with assistants Trey Keeley and Jesse Lawrence.
Joining the coaching staff is Keith Long, Ryan Sullivan and Tommy Minkler. Minkler was a senior and starting captain on last year’s team.
Jason LeVasseur, the most awarded music performer in the history of campus entertainment, according to his website, performed a Valentine’s Day special at 9:30 p.m. at the Milligan Hub in Stuyvesant Hall on Feb. 14.
Ohio Wesleyan offers three overnights during the spring semester for admitted students called A Slice of College Life. It is designed for admitted high school seniors who want to get a taste of what college is like.
The free event was primarily geared toward people attending A Slice of College Life, but was open to all students.
Photo courtesy of bass-schuler.com
LeVasseur has created and performed music for almost a quarter century. He has toured around the country and opened for many bands such as Dave Matthews Band, Maroon 5, John Mayer, LMFAO and others.
Although singing and performing is one of his great talents, he said he prides himself on his ability to influence others. LeVasseur runs “The Rock Star Project,” which is a creative student leadership program designed to inspire, motivate and educate students.
LeVasseur is also a keynote speaker. He assists students in developing leadership experience, which “focuses on the student leader’s influential role and responsibility to themselves and to their team’s,” according to his website.
As a major in English and secondary education, LeVasseur proves that anything is possible as long as you truly put your heart and soul in it. That is one of the main reasons why he performs at OWU.
He interacted with the future freshman class of enrolled students for 2016 and encouraged them to do what they love.
A part of his performance was his ability to interact with the audience. He encouraged a girl in the crowd to come on stage and perform a song of her own.
LaVesseur noted that one of the biggest downsides of his occupation is the traveling, which means being away from his family. But it is something that he wants to continue to do and make a difference in the lives of students.
LeVasseur has almost one hundred songs that can be found on YouTube or downloaded on Spotify and iTunes.
A crescent moon had risen in the sky as the temperature hovered around 20 degrees Fahrenheit when Luke Gabbert and a friend wandered back from Clancey’s Pub on Feb. 5. Only one would successfully make it back to campus.
Luke Gabbert. Photo courtesy of battlingbishops.com
Gabbert, a freshman from Lewis Center, Ohio, was found dead on the morning of Feb. 6. He was spotted in the Delaware Run, a muddy stream flowing near OWU’s campus. The events that occurred in a short span of time would leave people wondering what happened to Gabbert, a soccer player and new pledge of Phi Kappa Psi (Phi Psi)
As of April 13, OWU banned the Phi Psi chapter from campus.
A Transcript investigation has pieced together Gabbert’s final moments on that night and the following morning by talking to a variety of sources, some of whom requested and were granted anonymity because they feared retribution. One of those who did talk to the newspaper on the record was freshman Phil Foisie, also a new pledge of Phi Psi.
Captain Adam Moore of the Delaware Police Department said, “A gentleman on Saturday morning was walking to the [NAPA] auto parts store on Spring Street and while walking on Franklin Street discovered Mr. Gabbert.”
The cause of death is being investigated by the Delaware Police. As of Wednesday, Feb. 17, only preliminary autopsy results have been released by Delaware County Coroner’s office.
“We have the autopsy report, and no obvious cause of death has been found,” said Moore. “No visible traumatic injuries were found and the coroner is now conducting forensic testing for internal injuries and also for toxicology, the results of which are awaited.”
A detailed autopsy and toxicology report is expected to take 8-10 weeks, according to the coroner.
Investigators have been on campus trying to piece together where Gabbert would have been prior to his death, said Moore. In addition, President Rock Jones said Public Safety has cooperated with the police as requested.
Investigators have been talking with a large group of people, including sports teams and friends, according to Moore.
Clancey’s Pub declined to make a statement to The Transcript. Gabbert’s family also declined to comment.
Around 10:00 p.m. – Phi Psi finished its pledge ceremony.
Around 10:15 p.m. – Pledges allegedly began drinking alcohol.
According to one source, Gabbert brought his own alcohol, while another source said it was served to pledges by Phi Psi. The fraternity would not answer questions from The Transcript.
Saturday, Feb. 6
Between Midnight-12:30 a.m. – Gabbert went to Clancey’s Pub.
Around 12:45 a.m. – He vomited inside the bar and was asked to leave.
12:51 a.m. – Upon seeing police, who had stopped a car on Spring Street, Gabbert and a friend split up fearing being questioned by the police.
Between 1-1:30 a.m. – The same friend went to Gabbert’s residence 256 W. Central Ave. to check if he had returned and then to Smith Hall to look for him.
10:24 a.m. – A passerby found Gabbert’s body in Delaware Run adjacent South Franklin Street.
10:30 a.m. – New Phi Psi pledges gathered at the fraternity house and a source reported this was when the fraternity brothers noticed Gabbert’s absence.
10:40 a.m. – Gabbert pronounced dead.
Shortly before noon — President Rock Jones notified about Gabbert’s death.
12:42 p.m. – Transcript editors notified of a student’s death.
2:06 p.m. – OWU community informed.
Saturday, Feb. 13
Funeral for Gabbert held at Grace Church in Powell.
An Ohio Wesleyan record was broken when two OWU students earned a Top-5 finish in last month’s American Collegiate Moot Court Association’s national championship.
In Moot Court, students argue for or against a fake case that requires each team and its members to interpret constitutional rights that apply to it.
OWU was eligible to send four students (or two teams) to this event, which was attended by more than 350 schools from across the country.
Michael Esler, a professor of politics and government, accompanied seniors Katherine Berger and Rhiannon Herbert and juniors Forrest Dearing and Chloe Dyer on the trip.
California State University in Long Beach hosted this year’s championship.
Seniors Katherine Berger (left) and Rhiannon Herbert (right) show their awards. Photo courtesy of Facebook.
“It’s a great opportunity to cultivate and begin the process of developing arguments, learning the necessary forensics and getting arguments ready for competition,” said Michael Crum, one of the team members.
The team, which meets several times each week to discuss different cases, earned praise from President Rock Jones for their commitment to the program.
“Our students who participated in Moot Court worked very hard in preparation for the competition and did very well against very strong teams,” Jones said.
Berger and Herbert earned a Top-5 finish in the American Collegiate Moot Court Association’s national championship, setting a new OWU record. Last year, they had a top 20 finish.
In a press release, Essler said, “At last year’s nationals they won every round in the preliminaries, one of only six teams to do so but they were undaunted, knew what they had to do, and took care of business with the determination that has characterized their performance throughout their moot career.”
The team proceeded to win three consecutive rounds against higher-ranked teams, including two of the nation’s top-ranked teams.
Jerry Lherrison, a former team member, spoke highly of the Berger and Herbert’s record-setting performances.
“I think they are both phenomenal debaters,” Lherrison said. “They’re going to make incredible attorneys one day.”
Religion can bring millions of people together, but it can also be used as a tool to divide a nation. Religion professor Emmanuel Twesigye has experienced this firsthand.
Born and raised in Uganda, Twesigye worked to spread peace and religious acceptance in opposition to the oppressive regime of Idi Amin, a military general who took over as Ugandan president in 1971. Twesigye managed to escape with his life, but not everyone was as lucky.
Note: The following interview has been condensed for space.
Q: What was growing up in Uganda like? A: I was born a British subject because Uganda was under British rule until 1962 when Uganda became independent. We grew up singing the British anthem. So for me it was wonderful, except that now I realize we received a British education. In high school, I never had a single African teacher. Elementary school had African teachers, but high school had all English teachers … even history was British history.
Q: Can you provide your perspective on Uganda’s political upheaval while you were there? A: That’s a painful topic. When I first came to the U.S., I was told, “Don’t talk about it. It might create political hostilities between you and the government in Uganda. Your silence will be part of your protection.” But now most of the people who were involved in the persecution there have suffered and died.
General Amin was a Muslim in Uganda’s military and was semi-illiterate. The British government promoted him to high ranks because he was a stooge of the British … President Obote inherited this military structure in which Idi Amin was the top military officer. In Uganda there were two religious factions: the Anglicans, who ruled the country … and another group of Catholics who did not have political power. [Obote] created one state. He wanted to unify both the Anglicans and the Catholics who had formed two separate political partie s… And so you had a government which was Anglican in structure and resented by a majority of Catholics, and you also had Muslims who were left out of the two political groups. Then, in 1970, [Obote] declared he was going to adopt African socialism, and the British thought, “Oh, that’s dangerous. This guy’s getting out of hand.” … They went back to Idi Amin and told him, “We created you. We need you. Kick out your president and be the new president.” So Idi Amin, a Muslim, overthrew the president … but Idi Amin had another agenda [the British] didn’t know about. He had been talking to some Muslims from Libya and Saudi Arabia, and so when he took over, Gaddafi (Libyan dictator) said, “Now you better join us to form this Islamic league.” He did, even though Uganda was 85 percent Christian. The Muslims at the time were 7 percent.
Q: What was your life like when all of this was happening? A: As an assistant chaplain at Makerere [University], I organized the bishops to protest against Idi Amin and his oppressive measures … When you are a chaplain, it’s heartbreaking for you to bury young people because of a dictator who has ordered for them to be shot. I said, “We have got to protest.” The archbishop said, “I can’t do that because they will kill him and they will kill his family.” But when this happened for over a year and he had to bury the dead he ended up saying, “It’s okay now, but you have got to go mobilize the bishops.” It took me three months to persuade [the bishops] to consent, and then when they agreed, the archbishop asked me to write a letter which would be used as a point of discussion, and then would be sent to Idi Amin. In it, I had written all the grievances I could think about, mainly political and military oppression, killings and murders of innocent civilians by military groups, people disappearing at night. Of course, Idi Amin was so angry, and that’s when he vowed to retaliate and kill us. I don’t know how he knew I was one of those who drafted the letter, but he sent a message to me saying if the archbishop acts on this, he will be dead and I will be dead, too. I warned the archbishop … and he said, “Let God’s will be.” And that’s how he went and got killed that day, and they began looking for me. I went to hide in the dorms … but why I had enough time to hide was because one of my maids happened to be shopping at the corner store, and these people came there to find and arrest me. Talk about divine providence. Who was at the counter? My maid, buying bread and sugar. I will never probably do enough to reward her. She told them where the Catholic chaplain lived, and she came and told me, “They are really coming for you.” Then I went and took a few things to go and hide. It was rough time … So now I know the price to be paid when you stand for peace and justice.
Q: Do you think you’ll ever return to Uganda? A: We left Uganda and I refuse to go back and take my position in the cabinet of the new government because my wife said, “You have a loud mouth.” She didn’t want me running out again because this time I might not be so lucky.
Q: Where does your passion for theology stem from? A: My father’s an Anglican minister. He’s retired now … And so it was a debate between me and him even on matters of evolution. He was a creationist. I was an evolutionist. I was supposed to go into medicine, but I ended up saying somebody has got to teach the world that God didn’t create the universe in six days.
Some people say, “Are you really a priest writing on evolution?” It became a passion, a mission, and I love it … There are students who think I’m an atheist, but I try to be a voice of reason for all.
Q: There have been some incidents at OWU over the years of students acting in racist and inappropriate ways to you. Can you tell me about this? A: I had just come and this student left a voicemail on my answering machine actually saying I should change a test date, otherwise they would shave my nappy head. But the chaplain had actually warned me that this place could be racist because the week before I came for the interview, someone had vandalized the shanties on the JayWalk that were protesting South African apartheid. He said, “When you come, don’t be horrified when you see things like this.” So, I had been forewarned and I am grateful he warned me.
Q: What are your plans for the future? A: I don’t have any plans yet. I want to teach here. I’m working on a new book on critical issues in religion and ethics, and I’m excited about that, so I still want to teach until I’m too old to teach.
WCSA members talk to Trustees during their winter visit to campus. Photo by Olivia Lease.
Areena Arora, Managing Editor
Olivia Lease, Online Editor
The Ohio Wesleyan Board of Trustees (BOT) passed a resolution to support the goal of enrolling 2,020 students by 2020 when they visited last week.
This goal, according to the BOT campus retreat report shared by President Rock Jones with faculty, calls for a 25 percent growth in total student body over the next five years. Ten faculty members were also present with the trustees for discussion.
On Feb. 11, Wesleyan Council of Student Affairs (WCSA) invited the Board of Trustees to dinner to discuss a myriad of issues and celebrate their love for the school.
Topics such as the importance socioeconomic and racial diversity among the students, and enhancing school spirit were discussed. Also at issue were the appropriate role of academic advisors and campus accessibility for students with different abilities.
In his opening statement, Thomas Tritton ‘69, chairperson of the board, said, “We [the board members] love coming back to campus because it allows us to reminisce. We love sharing good memories, and of course, blocking out the bad ones.”
Addressing the students present, Tritton said, “You all are going to be us someday. I hope that doesn’t scare you too much. It should inspire you instead.”
Junior Jess Choate, president of WCSA, said she wanted those in attendance at the dinner to focus on “looking to the past in order to better the present.”
Choate talked about discontinued OWU traditions such as Spring Fever Day during which a bell was rung and the students were allowed to ditch class in exchange for other fun activities. WCSA, she said, is aiming to reintroduce old traditions.
The idea of rethinking OWU’s plentiful travel opportunities was also discussed. Laurie Anderson, professor of botany-microbiology, suggested offering a competitive scholarship so more students can go on travel-learning courses.
Will Kopp, chief communications officer, suggested the idea of an “angel fund” or emergency scholarship to help students who are struggling to pay tuition. “It’s just a shame,” he said.
Senior Emma Drongowski, former WCSA vice president, who was in attendance and remembered planning the event last year, said, “It’s very stressful. I mean, people on the Board of Trustees are very important people and they have a limited amount of time on campus. So as a student, we know how valuable that time is.”
“At my table, we talked about varying abilities of students coming in, specifically academic-level abilities and how to best support them,” said Drongowski. “I think all the issues talked about today [at the dinner] were important, but the overall question on most people’s minds was retention just because that is indicative of a lot of other things on campus.”
According to U.S. News and World Report’s 2011 edition of America’s Best Colleges, OWU’s retention rate was 87 percent. The current rate however, is 81 percent, showing a drop of 6 percent in the past five years. In 2011, OWU had the lowest freshman retention rate of the Five Colleges of Ohio or the Ohio5 (Oberlin, Kenyon, Ohio Wesleyan, Denison and Wooster).
Gregory Moore ’76 said, “I love the big 2020 plan. We want to get more students to come and stay. The trustees are really starting to echo with what students have been saying. We are starting to listen more.”
During the retreat, the board reviewed results of the Student Satisfaction Inventory survey, which was collected in October 2015, and engaged, along with faculty, in conversations with students about ways to enhance the student experience and increase student satisfaction and success, according to the retreat report.
In an email, Rock Jones, the president of OWU, said, “This is an exciting time at the university as we set out on this new, critical pathway. We must embrace appropriate change while remaining true to our historic mission, be willing to take urgent action, keenly focus on proper execution and be dedicated to our nearly 175-year-old commitments to a liberal education, diversity and public service.”
A 200-pound bell, made by senior Owen Kelling, will be settled in front of Elliott Hall over spring break.
The creation of the bell was initially a house project for the Peace and Justice House (P&J). Kelling decided to create this piece in order to represent both the house and school curriculum.
“[Kelling] signed up for an independent study last fall and elected to work on a commemorative bell celebrating 30 years of the Peace and Justice House,” said Jon Quick, part-time professor of fine arts.
The bell has two different sayings: “For Peace and Justice” and “A Coeli Usque ad Centrum,” which is Latin for “to the sky from the center of the earth.”
“It’s a phrase from old Roman property tax code,” Kelling said. “It was a literal definition of infinite personal property. In this context, it’s more figurative and spiritual [of] peace and justice everywhere.”
The frieze embedded on the bell was another reference to the P&J house. “It’s a charcoal rubbing I took of the radiator that’s in my room at pj and then retraced it on the plaster and carved the shape in the plaster so it’s from scratch,” said Kelling.
Kelling cast the bell this past October. “The final cast was a little disappointing due to significant breakout in the cast. But [Kelling] put in untold hours of work, as did I, providing troubleshooting and assistance throughout the entire process,” said Quick.
The bell got recognition after a house meeting at P&J with President Rock Jones.
“Owen has done a great job of promoting his efforts and apparently got the attention of Rock Jones and others who deemed it an appropriate and timely addition to the campus landscape,” Quick said.
The bell tower will be positioned 20 feet over from Elliot, will stand at 11 feet and ring the D note. Kelling mentioned that the bell might ring for commencement this coming May.
Camille Mullins-Lemieux, a resident of P&J, spoke highly of her housemate. “I think that we were excited when we found out he was making the bell. As he made it over the months, the excitement grew. He would bring molds and drawings to house meetings and we would all be in awe each time.”
Mullins-Lemieux said the project was a way to preserve the legacy of P&J.
“It will be here forever and it will be maintained as a landmark,” Kelling said. “It’s going to ring for every single person that goes here forever. That’s really one of those augmentation things I really didn’t expect.”
Snapchat, with its growing popularity, has swept over Ohio Wesleyan’s campus and is telling OWU’s story all over social media.
The account was launched in the summer and gave students who were not on campus a glimpse of Merrick Hall and its renovations. Initially, the app’s usage underwent a trial period and a few students were asked to try it out to gauge people’s responses.
“I like OWU Snapchat because I think it’s a way to connect with the current student body and encourage pride in our campus,” said senior Venessa Menerey.
Senior Julia Stone, who runs the OWU Snapchat, said it was challenging at first because she was unsure of what to include.
“Luckily, my friends were full of good ideas such as footage from an open mic at Choffey’s or the opening of an art show in Edgar Hall,” Stone said.
Stone said she enjoyed the experience because it forced her to get out of the comfort of her room and to “seek out adventure, fun and excitement at OWU during homework breaks.”
Since the initial trial period, the “My Story” feature on Snapchat has gotten about 140 viewers. Jessica Vogel, the student social media intern at the communications office, said she hopes this number will grow with time.
Students have used Snapchat for seven days to actively tell the OWU story and give a clear depiction of some of the events that happen on campus on a regular basis.
The mission of the weekly takeover is “to be flexible as we explore the best way for students to share their ‘My Story’ with classmates and future students,” Vogel said. “We want to create a program that is more than just a ‘take-over Tuesday.’ We want to see a real week in the life of an OWU student.”
The OWU Snapchat has one intention with this new social media account.
“The main goal of the account is to spread a sense of community and reach out to prospective students in a way that is authentic and fun,” Vogel said.
So far, some of the users of the account include Nicole Sanczyk, Stone and Emily Feldmesser, the chair of public relations during Mock Convention.
Lacrosse players also used the app to show what athletes on campus experience regularly. To add OWU’s Snapchat account, download Snapchat and add the account ohiowesleyan.
Freshman sprinter Quentin Broomfield watches junior sprinter Colin McShane take the baton during the 1600-meter relay at their recent Triangular meet. Photo by Leia Mizas.
Julia Snyder, Transcript Reporter
Running in a relay is considered an honor in track and field at Ohio Wesleyan University.
Kris Boey has been the head coach of the track and field team for the past 14 years. He said that having a strong relay team says a great deal because it shows the depth and quality of the team.
“Relays are fun, they’re exciting and they’re something that, as a team, we put a premium on because it makes a strong statement of your team and the culture should be that you earn your way onto a relay,” Boey said. “It’s a desirable thing. We take pride in that.”
There are several different relay events for outdoor and indoor track, but the same distances and strategies are used for the boys and girls.
There are three different relays in outdoor track: a 4×200-meter relay, 4×400-meter relay and a distance medley. There are only two relays for outdoor track: a 4×100 and 4×400-meter relay.
“The 4×100 is a pure sprint. It’s the trickiest because a hundredth of a second matters and exchanges have to be perfect,” Boey said. “It’s an extremely exciting race.”
Junior Colin McShane said, “The 4×4 is the most fun event for me because it’s the very last event of the track meet, and usually big meets come down to whoever wins the 4×4. To be a member of that relay is special because the whole team is watching you and depending on you guys to run well and basically win the meet.”
A distance medley consists of four runners who run 1200 m, 400 m, 800 m and 1600 m, respectively.
“The distance medley is unique because of the four different distances. The exchanges can be a little tricky because runners are coming in at different speeds,” Boey said. “It becomes really strategic on where you put your people.”
There are many variables that go into choosing runners for a relay. Boey said that he wants the type of person who wants to have the baton in their hand, someone who is very team-oriented.
Both McShane and senior Sara Johnson agree that running a relay is less pressure and more fun.
“For a relay, I don’t get nervous,” Johnson said. “You’re not in the blocks, you’re like chasing someone and it’s with three other girls, so it’s more fun that way.”
McShane said, “When you’re on a relay, it really brings in the team aspect of the sport. I always run better in a relay because you feel like the guys depend on you more. My other roommate, Adam [Turner], has run the 4×4 with me since I was a freshman. It makes it more fun to do a relay with somebody you’re really good friends with.”
Sophomore Griffin Peyton is new to the team.
Peyton said, “Running a relay really establishes our team motto, ‘we stand alone, together,’ which is nice. I like that.”
Her mother, Fauziah Embi, was open about this. “The funny story is, I tried to start her earlier [in dancing] when she was five, but she hated her teachers.” A few years later she had Radzi try dancing again and, “she loved it, hasn’t stopped since.”
The Houston-raised dancer is currently president of the student-run dance organization Terpsicorps and majoring in both neuroscience and theatre and dance.
Radzi has trained in ballet, tap and jazz. She was also a part of a competition jazz team and a contemporary company before coming to OWU.
“Ohio Wesleyan was a place that encouraged me to continue my passion of dancing, but also to pursue neuroscience,” she said.
At OWU, she said she’s learned a lot, especially about composition and choreography as an art.
Rashana Smith, assistant professor of theatre and dance said, “Her first piece I saw in Orchesis had to do with light, I really liked that piece a lot just because she worked so hard on it and in many ways, although it had to do with light, it also had to do with architecture.”
Radzi said there’s been an underlying theme for her work these past four years. She likes to focus on the idea of architecture and the idea of dealing with boundaries, how one can push them as well as embrace them.
“For my senior project, I wanted to push my limits. All of my previous work had to deal with revealing and hiding within boundaries.”
Radzi is pushing the limits by filming, editing, directing and choreographing her own senior project.
She’s looking at dance for camera work, specifically film. Smith said this style became popular around the 1940s, but has not been explored extensively at OWU.
Radzi said that for the most part, she had always seen dancing performed a frontal view where the audience is seated, but for her senior project she wanted to do something different. “I wanted to be able to use a medium that would allow me to view movement from many angles.”
The setting for her film will be a storage closet on campus.
“She’s really determined, she cares a lot about finding her creative process. She’s dedicated to the field of dance,” said Smith.
When asked if she gets nervous on stage, Radzi replied, “I love performing, [it] is one of the most rewarding things I think that I will ever feel.”
Her mother said each show Radzi performed in growing up was unique and that she loved them all. Even though she hasn’t been able to see her daughter perform at OWU, Radzi makes sure to send her DVDs of all her performances.
The only thing Radzi wishes OWU offered would be more dance classes, specifically technique-based ones so dancers can keep up on their training. She has already taken every dance class offered.
Radzi will present her senior project at the Spring Dance Showcase on April 24 at 2 p.m.
After graduation, she plans to apply for research positions, eventually go to podiatry school and join a local dance studio in Columbus.
