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Orange is the New Black author visits OWU

Orange is the New Black author Piper Kerman. Photo courtesy of the Huffington Post website

Ela Mazumdar, Transcript Reporter

Piper Kerman, author of Orange is The New Black, visited Ohio Wesleyan University on Jan. 20 to talk about the issue of mass incarceration.

Kerman came to speak at OWU’s Gray Chapel, sponsored by the Delaware County District Library.

The room was quickly flooded with Ohio Wesleyan students, faculty and staff and a large number of Delaware residents, eager to hear about time in prison from someone with firsthand experience.

Kerman introduced herself and her experiences in a comedic yet relatable manner, providing ease to the audience.

She then talked about meeting her significant other at a brewery, which led her into the prison system.

“Rather than run in the other direction as common sense might have suggested, I instead followed her around the globe,” Kerman said.

She discussed in detail her fears when she ended up helping her significant other travel with drug money.

“She was scared. I could tell she was scared and I was scared, too, so I did it. I carried that bag of money. I had crossed a line I couldn’t uncross.”

Kerman continued with her story, saying that eventually “our consequences catch up with us.”

She then did a statistical walk-through about U.S. incarceration and layered these facts with her initial experience in the prison in terms of surroundings, clothing and the other inmates she encountered.

“The last thing I expected to experience in prison was kindness at the hands of the other prisoners, yet that was exactly what I experienced,” Kerman said.

She went on to talk about Star, a woman in her dorm who had made her a name tag as a welcome, which was a powerful signal that gave a Kerman a sense of community.

After these personal anecdotes, Kerman discussed the impact of incarceration on people in terms of losing a parent and mental health. She also told everyone the meaning behind her novel and the reason she wrote it.

Bob Gitter, professor of economics at OWU, said Piper Kerman did an excellent job of making the case that we do indeed put too many people in prison in the U.S. In terms of cost, families and recidivism, she shows that locking up non-violent criminals is not the way to go.

“I hoped that by talking about what I experienced, people would get a better understanding of who was in prison and why they were there and what goes on behind prison walls,” Kerman said.

She ended with her favorite scene from her Netflix series and ended with questions from the audience and a book signing where fans could get up close and personal.

Freshman Natalie Campbell, an attendee at the event, said, “I thought the event was eye-opening about the problems within the U.S. prison system. It was interesting to hear Kerman’s plan of action to help reduce the amount of people, especially women, who are incarcerated every year.”

OWU track team sweeps triangle meet

Freshman Kevin Jones receives a baton from junior Colin McShane (pic- tured left). Photo by Leia Mizas.

Ross Hickenbottom, Sports Editor
Friday night was a successful one for the Ohio Wesleyan indoor track teams as they swept the OWU Triangular meet, where they hosted Mount Vernon Nazarene and Muskingum University.

The men’s track team, led by senior Adam Turner’s first place finishes in both the 300-meter dash and the 500-meter run, dominated the meet with their 180.5 points as compared to Mount Vernon Nazarene’s 84.5 and Muskingum’s 66.

A long list of first place finishers for the men include sophomore Nate Newman in the high jump, senior Aaron Port in the shot-put, junior Colin McShane in the 60-meter dash, senior Houston Smith in the 800-meter run, sophomore Nick Horton in the mile run, senior Nathan Madonich in the 3000-meter run, freshman Quentin Broomfield in the 60-meter hurdles, sophomore Westin Short in the pole vault and senior Ahmed Abdel Halim in the triple jump.

Sophomores Nate Newman and Griffin Peyton as well as freshman Tommy Davis all feel as if the meet went as planned, if not better.

“We really exceeded expectations,” said Newman, a multi-event athlete.

As for the women’s team, the results are just as dominant as their male teammates.

Led by senior Sarah Alflen’s two gold medals in the shot put and the weight throw, the ladies took the meet with their 176 points, compared to 109 for Muskingum and a mere 26 for Mount Vernon Nazarene.

Another long list of gold medalists contributes to the team success, consisting of sophomore Emily Brown in the triple jump, sophomore Amanda Clay in the 60-meter dash, senior Sara Johnson in the 60-meter hurdles, sophomore Rachell Resnik in the mile run, senior Abbey Warth in the 800-meter run, freshman Alyssa Acevedo in the long jump, sophomore Nicole Rozsa in the pole vault and JaMilla Holland who won the 200-meter dash.

Meg Teitelman, a sophomore multi-event athlete, contributed the “great team win” to the freshmen stepping up to their calling. In specific, Alyssa Acevedo, who took gold in the long jump, as well as finishing second in both the 60-meter dash and the 60-meter hurdles.

Acevedo said the team was expected to “destroy them, and that’s what we did.”

Both teams look to continue their dominance in their upcoming NCAC Quad at the College of Wooster on Saturday the 23rd.

Artist prepares for the opening of her first solo show

Photo courtesy of Facebook.

Leia Miza, Transcript Reporter
“She really exemplifies what the bachelor of fine arts program in the fine arts department should be – an intensive path for building knowledge and skills across many art disciplines,” said Frank Hobbs, a fine arts professor at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Catie Beach is a senior at OWU from Columbus, Ohio, pursuing a B.F.A degree. She currently lives in the Sexual and Gender Equality House (S.A.G.E) and maintains active membership in the Student Led Art Movement (SLAM) club. She is preparing for the opening of her first solo show, which will be up by the end of the month.

Although Beach’s concentrations consist of painting and printmaking, her potential has not been limited to just that. “The biggest surprise interest was going into sculpture. I’m very interested in the physicality of it. It stimulates you beyond your hands and arms; it’s your whole body.

Her upcoming show will display a range of mediums. “It’s going to have a lot of my sculpture work, printmaking, painting and maybe some drawing work as well as ceramics. It is still to be curated,” she said.

Beach and another student learned how to pour hot iron during a class in spring 2015. Photo courtesy of Facebook.

The art exhibit will cover a “retrospective” of the work she has done over the course of her time at OWU. She explained how many of the pieces are related to personal bounds such as family as well as other thematic explorations she has pursued.

“I’ve always been interested in nature and themes of death and how there is deception in the beauty of it. Often times, beautiful anomalies are products of destruction. A lot of my works are another focus on that,” she said.

Jordana McCallen, a fellow senior fine arts student at OWU, got the chills when she spoke about Beach. “I respect Catie so much as an artist. First of all, she has an innate talent that is really rare. I respect that she aware of that talent but is still humble. I just want more people to see her work.”

The opening will take place at the Werner Student Art Gallery of Edgar Hall on Jan. 29 from 6 to 8 p.m.

Extreme home makeover: SLU edition

Liz Hardaway, Transcript Reporter

More than a hundred years later, Ohio Wesleyan’s Small Living Units (SLUs) are finally getting a makeover.

While construction of the first SLUplex continues on 118 Rowland Ave. where House of Thought (HoT) previously stood, the remaining SLUs are rotting from the inside out.

SLUs, most of which were built in 1901, encounter problems typical to any older home: propping windows open with bricks, bats occasionally finding their ways into the hallway and laying down tarps to prevent a leaking roof, according to multiple SLU members.

The basement and third floor of the House of Peace and Justice (P&J) are off-limits, however, due to lack of renovations and concerns for personal safety, according to sophomore Izzy Taylor, a member of the house.

Whether the problem is a leaky ceiling, overflowing toilet or mold creeping between the walls, each complaint is submitted through the moderator to a residential life coordinator. Buildings and Grounds then prioritize these complaints depending on the immediacy of the concern and availability of supplies, said Melinda Benson, a residential life coordinator.

“It took almost half a semester for a computer to be installed in our common room … a hole in the ceiling over my bed rotted through in mid September, and it took until sometime over winter break for it to be repaired,” said Taylor.

Occasionally students have to relocate. Benson mentioned a student with severe asthma who had to move out due to mold within the facility.

“Some of these houses are so old that the solution will be to close that house down, and move those people to one of the new facilities,” said Benson.

Currently there is one SLUplex being built, a duplex style living facility that will house two SLUs. The master plan is to eventually have four of these SLUplexes along Rowland Ave., but the project only progresses when funding is provided, said Benson. She is hoping that by next year, as the first SLUplex opens, another will be under construction.

As most SLUs are predicted to stay in their current homes, the application process to move into a SLUplex has changed from previous applications.

SLUs will have to submit a proposal to renew and rank their preferences for facilities. Students, staff representatives and one staff member from residential life will then determine based on the merits of the presentation and application who will be the occupants of the first SLUplex, said Benson.

“I hope to see a home that is designed around the community-focused aspect of SLUs … building community and family within the SLUplex is what is most important, as is making the building accessible to all people,” said Taylor.

Star Wars from a rookie’s perspective

Gopika Nair, Copy Editor
I haven’t watched the original Star Wars trilogy and I haven’t watched the prequels. I hadn’t even watched the trailer for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” before I saw the movie.

Stormtroopers, Han Solo, R2-D2, Darth Vader and Yoda somehow existed in my periphery throughout my childhood, but I didn’t understand the fascination or hype surrounding the Star Wars franchise.

I get it now.

“The Force Awakens” takes place 30 years after “Return of the Jedi.” The sequel features the trio from the original trilogy—Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), whose first appearances on screen had me, a novice in all Star Wars related things, cheering internally.

With lines like, “Chewie, we’re home,” “The Force Awakens” give old fans of the franchise a taste of familiarity, while also welcoming new fans and a new generation as a whole.

The sequel introduces a power trio comprising Rey, a scavenger (Daisy Ridley), Finn, a stormtrooper (John Boyega) and Poe Dameron, a pilot (Oscar Isaac).

The recent Star Wars movie and the original trilogy share several parallels and themes, serving as a subtle reminder to veteran Star Wars fans that “sequel” isn’t necessarily synonymous with “disastrous.”

For a movie that lasted more than two hours, “The Force Awakens” could have easily bored viewers, especially those who aren’t die-hard fans of the franchise. But its biggest merit is that the movie didn’t feel sluggish.

The plot was interesting. The characters tossed around clever lines which hit the right mark of being funny without trying too hard.

The fight scenes were executed well and the tight, seamless editing contributed to the overall flow of the film, particularly where Poe, Isaac’s character, is concerned.

He appears in the beginning of the film, but after an attempt to escape the First Order goes awry, Finn presumes Poe is dead. The pilot doesn’t make a reappearance until the last 30 minutes of the movie.

Even so, his return isn’t jarring or abrupt, but his absence isn’t neglected, either. Throughout the movie, BB-8, Poe’s globular droid, befriends Rey to seek its master, thus ensuring that the audience remembers Poe.

Moreover, the actors, particularly Ridley, Boyega and Isaac, command viewers’ attention with their characters’ likability, while the older actors retain the signature charm that long-time fans loved from the beginning.

Even though most of us aren’t scavengers or stormtroopers or pilots located in a galaxy far, far away, Rey, Finn and Poe have qualities that make them admirable, quirks that make them likable and flaws that make them relatable.

Ultimately, “The Force Awakens” attracted a new generation of fans and that’s evident from the sudden surge of Star Wars’ popularity since the sequel’s release.

No matter how many years pass, you can’t escape the Force. The Star Wars franchise may have been dormant after the release of “Attack of the Clones” in 2005, but not anymore.

MLK: a legacy to remember

By Courtney Dunne, Copy Editor
On Jan. 18, many children enjoyed their days off relaxing at home, while Ohio Wesleyan University was up bright and early to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day at breakfast.

Many members of the Delaware community like police officers, local churches and political organizations such as the Delaware Republicans joined the OWU community in recognizing this holiday.

Gregory Moore ’76, an OWU alum, was the guest speaker. “King was committed to fighting racism, militarism and materialism. He deplored war, poverty and prejudice,” said Moore. He continued to speak about issues of race and the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

All of the proceeds from the breakfast go to a scholarship fund, which provides a local high school student with funds toward college tuition. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Celebration Committee has been awarding this scholarship for 23 years.

Among the students in attendance at breakfast was OWU student Miranda Anthony ‘18. “This event brought all four corners of the Delaware community together socioeconomically as well as racially,” said Anthony.

Next year Ohio Wesleyan will also have Martin Luther King Jr. Day off to observe his contribution to our society.

Remembering Brandon Sega

By Sara Hollabaugh, Arts & Entertainment Editor

The tragic death of a beloved friend invites shared memories and a petition to keep drunk drivers off the road.

Brandon Sega ’13 was killed Dec. 31, 2015 in a two-car accident.

Jason Lonneman ’14 and Rebecca Muhl ’13 were also in the car with Sega, which left Lonneman seriously injured.

According to NBC4, the graduates were hit by Daniel Merz, who has had alcohol convictions prior to the accident on New Year’s Eve.

In an email addressed to the Ohio Wesleyan community, President Rock Jones spoke highly of Sega.

“Brandon was an exceptional young man who will be remembered for his artistic talents, his success as a varsity baseball player and his involvement with Sigma Phi Epsilon,” Jones said.

OWU’s baseball coach, Tyler Mott, had countless things to say about Sega as well.

“I can’t say enough good things about him,” Mott said. “I got to know him his senior year in high school. We recruited him and he was a joy.”

“[I knew him] his last year in high school, his years in college and the last two years,” Mott said. “He was one of the most hardworking players that I’ve been around. [He was] talented, not just with baseball, but in so many other areas. Well spoken, bright and artistic.”

Mott said the athletic department and baseball team will honor Sega this spring.

“We’re going have a celebration where we honor him during one of our home games,” Mott said.

“There will also be a permanent sign put in the outfield for him and his family.”

In the wake of Sega’s death, Mott has spoken to the current baseball team about his former player.

“We just had our first team meeting of the spring and we talked about [Brandon],” Mott said. “And we brought out one of the game hats. Our guys have to earn their hats and we talked about what they resemble, including the players that came before them.”

Sega’s life has been celebrated over many social media platforms and talked about among his former peers, teammates and friends.

Friend and Sig Ep brother Ibrahim Santana ’15 said the only way to describe Sega is that he was the light of [the brothers’] lives and every life that he was a part of.

“I rarely saw him angry or upset; he didn’t let little things get to him,” Santana said. “He really lived his life to the fullest.”

Charles Cooper ’15 played baseball with Sega and is also a brother in the Sig Ep fraternity.

“I first met Brandon in high school,” Cooper said. “He was always texting me, wondering how my recruiting process was going. He even hosted me for my overnight even though he was a sophomore and the recruits usually stayed with freshmen.”

Cooper said he has many fond memories of Sega and their time on the baseball team together at OWU.

“The earliest memories I have of him were at our morning practices for baseball [my freshman year],” Cooper said. “He would throw the ball as hard as he could during our drills, especially when he was throwing to me or other freshmen. He thought it was funny seeing how scared we were to catch the ball when it was coming in that fast.”

Cooper said that Sega was really just a great person to be around.

“There was never a dull moment with him because he loved to talk about everything,” Cooper said. “He was always genuinely interested in what you were doing. It was clear that everybody he met or talked to was fond of him as there was an estimated 3,000 people at his wake.”

Cooper added that he hopes people remember Sega for his positive spirit and unparalleled work ethic.

In response to Merz’ alleged drunk driving, Cooper and Michael Jeffers are petitioning the Ohio State Senate, where they are calling for tough punishment for drinking and driving.

“I feel like it is appropriate for how dangerous the crime is,” Cooper said. “As we’ve seen, it can take the life of an incredible human being.”

To view the petition, go here.

WCSA’s first full senate meeting

Photo courtesy of the OWU website.

By Areena Arora, Managing Editor

The first full senate meeting of 2016 for the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA) was on Jan. 18, coinciding with this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

The meeting at Crider Lounge in Hamilton-Williams Campus Center commenced with the attendees watching a part of the famous speech “I have a dream,” by Martin Luther King Jr.

“It was designed to both honor and learn from his accomplishments,” said junior Jess Choate, the WCSA President.

Choate welcomed new senators and guests to the new meeting venue in Hamwill and said the change was made to encourage more attendance by people who are not a part of WCSA.

In her report Choate introduced a new resolution to change the names of “Residential Affairs Committee” and “Campus Relations Committee” to “Student Life” and “Public Relations,” respectively. The senate will vote on the resolution at its next meeting.

Senior Caroline Anderson, secretary of WCSA, reminded senators of the attendance policy and requested attendees to refrain from using cell phones during the meeting in her report.

Sophomore Nick Melvin, chair of the Academic Affairs Committee said in his report, “We hope to solve academic problems before they arise,” adding that one of the goals for the committee this year would be to make a coherent four year plan for all incoming students.

Campus Relations Committee requested senators to get the word out for treasurer applications and appointed senator applications which are both due Friday, Jan 22.

Junior Graham Littlehale, who served as treasurer for WCSA last year, is serving as the interim treasurer until a new one is appointed.

A discussion-question portion was added at the end of the meeting as part of changes made in WCSA’s working this year.

“This is being done to provide a specific platform for senators to speak,” said Choate in response to a questions about the concerns that senators may have heard from students around campus.

Transportation to Columbus, gaps in student-faculty communication and student safety on snowy days at crosswalks were some of the concerns voiced by senators.

The meeting concluded with an announcement by Brad Ingles, the associate director for Young Alumni/Student Programs, about informational session on upcoming Board of Trustees election.

The next full senate meeting will be on Monday, Jan. 25.

Bishops third in NCAC all-sport championship, trailing DePauw, Denison

By: Ross Hickenbottom, Transcript Correspondent

All seven fall sports NCAC championships have been decided, placing DePauw University in first, Denison University in second and Ohio Wesleyan trailing the pack in third. The Tigers of DePauw captured their first-ever NCAC title in women’s soccer and took second place in both field hockey and football, while placing third in men’s soccer; women’s cross country and volleyball, wrapping up the fall sports season with a total of 56.5 points, a nine-point lead over Denison (47.5) and a ten and a half point lead over OWU (46.0).

Denison, with a half-point lead over Ohio Wesleyan, earned top five finishes in six fall sports, including women’s soccer placing second for the Big Red’s top team finish of the season. Ohio Wesleyan placed two teams, men’s soccer and volleyball, in second place in the conference for the season to gain a four-point lead over the fourth place team, Kenyon.

OWU Athletics Director Roger Ingles explained that Denison, DePauw and Ohio Wesleyan are a typical top three in the NCAC All-Sports Championship race approaching the winter sports season, but has confidence in teams such as the men’s basketball squad to pull out another conference championship, rearranging the order, and hopefully placing OWU on the top of the podium at the end of the winter sports season.

In the history of the NCAC, OWU leads the pack in terms of total conference championships, with 145, Denison in second (130) and Allegheny falling behind in third (113), but in fact, has not won an all-sports title, outright, since the 2007-08 season. The past several years, DePauw and Denison have teetered the title.

Returning starter, and Freshman of the Year in the NCAC men’s basketball poll, Nate Axelrod has ‘high expectations’ for the team this year, and believes they can repeat, adding to the All-Sports race effort, but explained, “we just need to take it one game at a time and stay focused to reach our goal.”

Looking forward to spring, Doug Sanders, a dual-sport athlete and junior, playing both football

and baseball, has high hopes for the baseball team, believing they can bring a championship back to Delaware.

“I believe this team has the hunger and drive in order to win the NCAC Tournament, as well as making some noise in the NCAA tourney. It should be a great year for Ohio Wesleyan baseball,” he said.

With that, OWU athletes look to turn the race results around with the winter and spring sports seasons, surpassing DePauw and Denison.

First Friday festivities are big hit

By: Jordyn Hollenbeck, Transcript Correspondent

The horse-drawn carriage, the visit to Santa’s house and the popular tree lighting ceremony.

Every December, the Delaware community unites to celebrate the Christmas season.

On the first Friday of every month, a non-profit organization named Main Street Delaware hosts events to bring the community together. Some of the group’s events throughout the year have included “Celebrate Health with Friends”, “Picnic with the Cops” and “Chalk It Up.”

The most popular Friday event of the year has always been the December event according to the event’s photographer, John Holliger.

He refers to the event as a place to “learn to know our neighbors in a fun way,” Holliger said.

He spoke highly of this month’s event: the atmosphere is “revitalizing” with a constant “young attitude” and an air of positivity in all of the social interactions he sees.

“Everyone wants to contribute in town,” Holliger said, talking about the community leaders and townspeople alike.

Holliger has been taking pictures for the Main Street Delaware events for years; he explained how he now prepares for the December event, now that he has years of experience.

He has learned to pack two different cameras before making his way through the crowded streets—one on each hip—Holliger said, with several different kinds of lenses to capture the “uniting of community.”

For the past couple of events, he has also dragged a 6-ft ladder behind him throughout the night; he does not want to miss any opportunities for good pictures, Holliger said.

During the monthly celebrations, local shops and restaurants must go through lots of preparation to make their businesses as inviting as they can for the newcomers. The majority of the shops utilize this event to advertise their business. Yet the preparation is not as exciting or easy as the actual festivities; one local restaurant owner described the confusion that the events often bring.

Richard Upton of J. Gumbo’s enjoys the events and likes bringing in local performers to play in his restaurant, he said, making it a good place to dine and to relax. It is not stressful, he said, but the days leading up to Friday can be fairly confusing.

Many of the businesses won’t know what blocks are shut down during the event and which ones will stay open until a couple days before, Upton said, and owners need to know if their business will be accessible to foot traffic—and exposure—or if they will be outside of the main festival area.

Despite this adversity during preparation, the Christmas First Friday event is one of the best, Upton said.

“There is always a giving feeling [in the community],” John Holliger said. “It is great being surrounded with feelings of generosity and gratitude for our town.”