Bob Barnes coached the Bishops for 19 seasons, leading the team to back-to-back NCAA Division III championships in 2001 and 2002. His team also set a NCAA Division III record with a 60-game winning streak.
In an article on battlingbishops.com, Barnes said, âLeaving Ohio Wesleyan is the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do. I appreciate my time at Ohio Wesleyan as a student-athlete and then as a coach for 19 seasons — it has been an amazing journey.â
“I think the current team, along with another recruiting class, will accomplish great things, and I look forward to watching their development into a conference contender.â
Assistant Coach Nicole Ross will take over as interim head coach until a permanent replacement is found.
In recent weeks, many colleges and universities across the country have struggled with their administrations over racial and cultural inequalities. Many students have protested that their administrators do not listen to their concerns. Ohio Wesleyanâs Presidentâs Commission on Racial and Cultural Diversity (PCORCD) tries to avoid just that complaint.
PCORCD was formed in 2007 and has three main goals: âto report annually to the president on the state of racial and cultural diversity at Ohio Wesleyan; to make recommendations aimed at improving the climate of racial and cultural diversity at Ohio Wesleyan; and to recommend the annual recipient of the Presidentâs Award for Racial and Cultural Diversity,â said Rock Jones, president of OWU.
The award recognizes an individual or organization âthat has done the most to improve the state of racial and cultural diversityâ on campus, said Jones.
Chuck Della Lana, the director of media services, serves as a coÂ-chair of the commission. He said the commission is currently âworking with the presidentâs office and the human resources department to offer a diversity/bias training program to all staff and faculty which we expect to roll out this winter.â
The module, which was created by WeComply, seeks to explain federal, state and local workplace Âdiversity laws, and also âemphasize the importance of treating everyone with respect and dignity and…demonstrates how embracing diversity can be a sound business strategy,â according to the companyâs website.
Jones said PCORCD is âparticularly focused today on the need for bias and sensitivity training, and the need for a clear method available to report incidences reflecting bias, insensitivity, discrimination and other forms of mistreatment.â
A goal of the commission is to expand similar types of workshops to the entire campus. John Sanders, interim director of human resources at OWU, said in an effort to hire more diverse faculty and staff, job postings have been going to HBCU Connect. HBCU Connect is a web service where current and former students of HBCUâs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) can look for jobs and connect with potential employers.
Currently, PCORCD is working with OWUâs Spectrum Resource Center. Della Lana said they are creating a âCampus Pride Index, which should clearly indicate how we rank with other colleges when it comes to providing service and support to our GLBTQ students.â
Della Lana said once the index is completed, the commission âwill receive a report with specific suggestions on how we can work together to provide a safer and more inclusive campus community.â
Two students are on the commission, and as of publication, they have not responded to requests for comment.
Even with these precautionary measures being taken, PCORCD is still trying to find its niche on campus.
âWe believe the best way to prevent conflict on campus is for all of us to speak openly and honestly about the issues we face,â Della Lana said. âOWU is not a perfect community. There is much work to be done and we donât have all the answers.â
For the first time ever, Ohio Wesleyan will be offering sections of UC 160 courses in the spring semester; and for the class of 2020, it will be mandatory.
For about five years, these quarter-Âcredit courses have provided incoming freshmen and other students new to OWU with information about the liberal arts, the programs and resources available to them on campus.
âFor the last few years, weâve been talking about offering spring sessions,â said Zachary Long, director of UC 160 programs and associate professor of English. âIn general, our preference is for students to take them in the fall, but it seems worthwhile to have a backup option.â
Long had spring UC 160 course offerings approved by administration last spring and has been planning it since.
âSome who are interested in taking UC 160 cannot take it in the fall due to athletics, labs that eat up a lot of time or because they want to proceed with caution with their course load,â Long said.
Transfer students that come in the second semester will have the opportunity to take UC 160 as well, Long said.
âThis is a big year for experimentation,â Long said.
Only three sections will be offered this spring so that faculty can monitor student interest.
These three sections are titled âTravel as a Political Act,â âSerialâ and âSustainability,â according to the OWU website.
There is some universal subject matter, but the professors and the text or themes of each course differentiate them, Long said.
Because this is the first time these firstÂ-year introductory courses will be offered in the spring, the course timeline will have to change, Long said.
âIâm as interested as other professors about where is the best place to start this,â Long said. âStudents will have already learned some of (the curriculum) such as how to register for classes.â
The addition of spring sections isnât the only change on the UC 160 front.
On Monday Nov. 16, the faculty voted and approved making UC 160 courses mandatory for all first-Âyear students starting next fall, Long said.
Many schools have required firstÂ-year courses, Long said, but those courses tend to be fullÂ-unit academic topics or something like an extended orientation.
âOur course is unique in that itâs a hybrid model,â Long said. âWeâre trying to tag some academic or philosophical heft to it, but donât want to make it a fullÂ-unit course because we want it to be accessible to students.â
As Long went on to explain, the hybrid model isnât the only thing that makes OWUâs first-Âyear courses unique.
Each course partakes in a community service project, which introduces students to the local community and not just the campus community.
Rather than having campusÂ-wide required readings, faculty are encouraged to teach texts and themes that resonate with them.
For example, âBrain Rules,â a section of UC 160 offered in the fall, is taught by professor Jennifer Yates, director of the neuroscience program, according to the UC 160 fall brochure.
âThis isnât an accident,â Long said. âWe want to get students connected with a professor whom they have a common interest with.â
In the fall or spring, UC 160 gives students the opportunity to get to know professors in a more informal setting and get something like a mentorship experience, Long said.
Itâs survival of the fittest for Ohio Wesleyan students when it comes to finding a parking spot on campus.
OWU students are frustrated that they have to pay for a parking permit and put additional money in parking meters on the street and then walk back to the dorms late at night because they canât find a spot near their residence hall.
Currently, the B parking passes are priced at $175 for a full year and C passes are at $15. Permit prices drop 50 percent on March 1.
B lots include the residency side whereas C lots include the Jay Martin Soccer Complex, Selby Stadium and a few spaces on the far west side of Williams Drive.
Including faculty and staff, there are 1,500 parking spots available on OWUâs campus. However, for student parking, there are a total of 1,040 spots. Only 443 B permits and 215 C permits are issued.
As of Nov. 17, 957 parking citations were issued.
Public Safety (PS) has approached the distribution of parking permits in several different ways and this year has been the least problematic.
In previous years, there has been a lotteryÂstyle drawing for the freshmen and sophomore classes to get a parking pass. There were 70 spots offered between the two class levels. In this case, it was the luck of the draw for those students.
This technique, led to more students parking on the street, which caused problems for Delaware residents and police. This resulted in parking permits opening up for everyone on campus.
However, students still park on the street.
Junior Doug Dodridge has had a B permit all three years, but finds better spots on the street. âI hate parking here. I think itâs absolutely ridiculous that I paid $175 for a parking pass,â Dodridge said. âIâm feeding a meter every time I go to class because I canât find a place to park my car.â
Senior Nate Goodhart has seen the price of parking passes increase dramatically over his four years and feels the parking situation hasnât gotten any better.
âIf PS can get a parking spot for their golf cart, I should get one by my classes,â Goodhart said.
This year, PS lowered the price of C permits to $15 making it more affordable. PS thought this might increase the availability in B lots since C is more reasonably priced. PS does not plan on lowering the price of B permits anytime soon.
Freshman Lyndsay McMullen purchased the C permit but intends on upgrading next year. For now, she doesnât mind walking, but feels a B pass would be more convenient.
To help resolve some of the parking spot battles, manager of PS Ramon Walls advises more students to partake in the carÂsharing program with Enterprise. There are approximately 120 students registered for the carÂshare program.
To apply for the carÂshare program, a credit card and license is required. From there, drivers can book reservations for the day and time. Gas and damages are all covered in the membership fees.
For more detailed information, contact PS.
âWith the addition of the new Simpson Querrey Fitness Center, we have changed the A parking hours in the science center from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. to a more flexible time, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.,â Walls Junior Jillian Bell has had a B permit all three years and still struggles with parking problems.
âAll the parking lots have huge potholes which I thought would be fixed after being here for three years,â Bell said.
PS along with many student drivers would love to see parking lots paved again and spots added, but it is simply not in the budget.
Walls likes the idea of building a parking garage by HamÂWill. Denison University has a parking garage on campus that offers a large sum of student spots.
Parking has been an issue for students at OWU for years now.
For the time being, when it comes to finding a parking spot, may the odds be ever in your favor.
An OWU football player attempts to evade a player from Oberlin. Photo courtesy of battlingbishops.com.
Itâs not how you start, but how you finish.
The Ohio Wesleyan football team finished its season on Nov. 14 with a 59-Â28 win against the College of Wooster. The blowout win marked the culmination of an up and down season that fills the Battling Bishops with anticipation for next fall.
The win against Wooster raised OWUâs record to 5Â5. While a .500 record may not seem impressive, those close to the football program think otherwise.
After losing three of their first four games, the team rallied to win three of its last four behind some stellar offensive and defensive performances.
âIt took us a little while to get rolling, but once we found our groove and started playing good football, we got really tough to beat,â junior quarterback Dom Orsini said.
The Battling Bishops also faced the toughest part of their schedule at the beginning of the season. They opened the season with difficult losses to Mary Hardin-ÂBaylor, who was ranked third in the nation and the perennially tough conference rival Wittenberg University.
The season finale was also a great way to send off some of the seniors on the team. Finishing the season on a strong note was satisfying for the graduating seniors to finish their football careers.
âA win like this was a great way to go out,â senior captain Zain Kieffer said. âEven though we got off to a bad start to the season, we knew we didnât suck. It feels good to beat up on teams in front of my whole family. Couldnât have asked for a better end to football.â
The team has 11 seniors, but the majority of the team will be back next fall.
âThe end of this season leaves us all hungry for next fall,â Orsini said. âWeâre keeping most of our offense and a lot of key contributors on defense. Now that we have a whole season under our belts, the sky’s the limit.â
This off season promises to be a productive one for the Battling Bishops, as head coach Tom Watts has placed the team on a strict workout plan. The players must keep up with strength training, conditioning and speed and agility drills until next fall to ensure that they come back ready to win.
Youâre at a party at a popular fraternity. People are bumping into each other, slurring jokes, trying to laugh over the noisy upbeat dance music. Almost all the guests are toting the signature red solo cup, sipping on what is either a mystery jungle juice, or a typical Jack and Coke. Shot glasses line the wooden bar to your right and some guy who took at least six shots of tequila leans his hand on your shoulder, and asks if you would like to partake in their fun.
But is that really the only way you can have fun at school?
Of course not. College is about new experiences, and though that can include testing your limits, the hangovers get exhausting and maintaining fully functional motor skills can be surprisingly rewarding. So, for the weekends when you just donât feel like getting hammered but still want to have a banger time at your smallÂtown liberal arts school:
Say no
Ultimately itâs your decision whether to drink, but if you donât want to, be firm about it. Be confident about your decisions. After saying no, if someone is still trying to convince you to drink, they arenât being a good friend.
âIf you know and can articulate to peers why you are not partaking, they should respect that your value system is guiding your decisions,â says Melinda Benson, a Residential Life Coordinator.
No matter how many times your friends say youâre a better dancer drunk or you really do kill that karaoke stage when you sing, if you donât want to drink, you shouldnât have to drink. End of story.
Be social
When you look back on parties, football games, or any social event, it wasnât drinking alcohol that made it a fun memory. Usually, this actually makes your memory a little fuzzy. From the parts you do remember, the socializing and activities are likely what made the memory special.
âNo one has fun at a party, sober or not, if theyâre standing in the corner by themselves,â says junior Nate Dedek, the social chair of Delta Tau Delta.
Being sober does not hinder the ability to have fun and socialize. A punch line would be more coherent, a story would be told more linearly, and itâs easier to meet people when you can actually articulate your words. Also, contrary to whatever vodka tells you, people are better dancers sober. âYou donât have to be intoxicated to dance. Itâs easier to get into if you donât have to worry about spilling a drink,â says Benson.
Think of the consequences
Sure, alcohol can be fun in moderation, but it also tends to make people lose control. A sober person would not behave the same way around a police officer as a drunk person. RunÂ-ins with the law can turn a quarterback on a football team to a benched player or jeopardize a studentâs future job opportunities. If a fraternity or sorority hosts an alcoholic event without registering it through the school, the consequences could range from fines to being kicked off campus.
âBefore you get in a tough situation, spend some time reflecting on your values, and then let those guide you,â says Benson.
Join a club
Clubs are a great way to get involved on campus, meet new people, and have fun. C.L.E.A.R. (Choosing and Learning Environment with Alcohol Respect) is one of the main clubs at Ohio Wesleyan that strives to create a university environment not focused around alcohol. Riding roller coasters at Kingâs Island or attending a Columbus Blue Jackets game are just a few of the events C.L.E.A.R hosts in order to promote safety and sobriety.
âI think that students knowing that you donât have to drink to fit in is a big way of knowing that itâs okay not to cave into peer pressure and do what everyone else is doing,â says junior Jeanette Chang, the president of C.L.E.A.R.
Alcohol should not be condemned, but it should also not be the epitome of a college experience.
In moderation, alcohol can be a good way to celebrate an achievement or let loose. However, personal safety and comfort are the most important factors in any situation. So, if you really donât feel like entertaining the hot messes at the frat party, you can always ditch it and go see that new James Bond movie everyone and your grandpa has been dying to see.
Brooke Waite ’16 and Reggie Hemphill ’17 rehearse a play for One Acts last year. Photo courtesy of the OWU website.
If you plan on attending One Acts in December, there is a lot to look forward to.
The One Acts are student driven. The playwriting class produced the scripts that the directing class can choose from. Even the actors are students, with the occasional professor.
This year, the One Acts will take place on Friday, Dec. 4 and Saturday, Dec. 5. One such play is âEremiel and Beelzâ, written by junior Gabe Caldwell and directed by junior Emily Poltor.
âEremiel and Beelzâ is a comedy about an angel named Eremiel and a demon named Beelz. The play is Caldwellâs second script to be featured in One Acts. He said his inspiration came from âGood Omens,â a book by Terry Pratchett, which is about an angel and demon who are best friends.
âBeelz is really good at doing his job which is âbad.â Eremiel is bad at his job which is âgood,â Caldwell said. âThe central tension of the show is whether nature trumps purpose, good or bad.â
Poltor said she wanted to direct the play since she first read it. The script was âfastÂpaced,â good for her directing style and had likable characters.
âWhat stood out to me in the script is that the characters are supernatural beings,â said Poltor. âIÂ thought that would present a unique artistic challenge.â
Because the characters are supernatural beings, Poltor looked for actors who had the skills to portray that. During auditions and callbacks, she searched for actors who were ânot afraid to put humor into the scriptâ and were experienced enough to learn the roles in the limited rehearsal time.
Freshmen Doris Ottman was cast as Eremiel and Ares Harper was cast as Beelz.
Harper was excited to be cast in One Acts. His favorite part about One Acts is that the work is done by his peers. He liked Poltorâs directing style because she was open to experimenting with characterization and takes input from her actors. However, he was surprised to be cast as Beelz.
âIâve always wanted to play a villain. You donât get much more âvillainâ than a devil,â Harper said. âHeâs … a big, manly character. I donât usually get cast as that.â
Ottman, his scene partner, enjoyed working with him. She was equally surprised to have been cast as Eremiel.
The character interested her because he does not embody the stereotypical idea of what an angel should be. For Ottman, the biggest challenge of playing Eremiel is making the supernatural events seem normal.
âYou have to make the supernatural seem natural,â Ottman said.
As the playwright, Caldwell appreciates how Poltor cast his characters. He thinks both actors are perfect for the challenges of the script.
âThey can pull off the dramatic side…the comedic timing of the dialogue and the serious side,â Caldwell said. âTiming is harder to train, and the director needed to understand that.â
The directing class spends the semester preparing for One Acts, which is their final project.
Directors are responsible for organizing callbacks so they can choose their actors. They are also able to use elaborate props and work with lighting designers, sound designers, and the stage manager. The goal is to see the play come to life during the performance.
âPeople never get to see how much effort goes into the finished, polished product,â Poltor said.
Each day of the One Acts features different shows. âEremiel and Beelzâ will be performed on Dec. 5.
OWU basketball player Claude Gray. Photo courtesy of the Battling Bishops website.
Thanksgiving break is a time for students to unwind with family, eat unhealthy amounts of pumpkin pie and see high school friends. For most students that means going home. For others, it means staying on campus to sweat and work hard with teammates.
The Ohio Wesleyan University menâs and womenâs basketball and swimming teams put in extra practice time for games over break, making Thanksgiving anything but a break.
The swim teams competed Nov. 21 and 22 in the CorbiereÂ-Merion Invitational where the men finished second of five and the women first.
OWU menâs basketball had three games over break. Between games and practice, the players were busy. Sophomore Will Orr believes the break brings the team closer together.
âIt is a little weird to be on a college campus with only your team there, but itâs also kind of nice that itâs only your teammates on campus. It brings us together as a team.â
âIt is not required to stay on campus if you live close enough, but itâs not worth it to go home everyday,â Orr said. âUsually everyone just stays on campus until we get a little break.â
Womenâs basketball played Nov. 21 in Holland, Michigan, and Nov. 24 back in Delaware. For sophomore Kayla Richard, being on campus over break has both positives and negatives.
âI am pretty sure I am the only person left on my floor, and being in my room without my three roommates is really weird,â Richard said. âI miss coming back to our room and getting to talk about our days.â
The team plans activities to make the break more enjoyable and relaxing for everyone.
âThe team eats the majority of our meals together, we went to go see Mockingjay Part 2 and we are are volunteering at FEED Delaware. We thought it would be a great idea to do good and give back to those who are less fortunate to remind us of all that we should be thankful for.â
Ohio Wesleyanâs Park Avenue jazz ensemble performed Tuesday, Nov. 17 in Gray Chapel and was directed by faculty member Larry Griffin. They played a large variety of jazz pieces, from smooth to classic uplifting pieces.
According to freshman Espen Stalder, a trumpet player in the ensemble, the jazz band rehearsed twice a week for an hour and a half to prepare for the performance.
Freshman Emily Sutliff, a trombone player, said, âWe worked really hard on these pieces and IÂ think itâs great that we all came together as a band even though this was really difficult music.
We did our best and everyone had a great time.â
After intermission, Griffin introduced Rachel Ballitch, a vocalist, to the stage who sang six songs with the band including âOver the Rainbowâ by Harold Allen.
When asked about how jazz differs from other types of music, sophomore tenor saxophone player Zachary Worley said, âYou can express yourself more. You can do a lot more with jazz than classical … You can do what you want, what you feel.â
Music education major and audience member Mary Wadell added, âI think the best part of it is that so much of what we hear is actually improvised … they can do anything they want, express how they feel. And I think thatâs brought out most in their ability to improvise in jazz, which is really unique to the style.â
This ensemble will not perform again for another year.
âThereâs usually two [jazz band concerts]. But Dr. Griffin is going to be on sabbatical…â said senior Logan Baker, a trumpet player in the ensemble.
Griffin added, âThe band rehearses twice a week. However, next semester when I’m on sabbatical, we’re not scheduled to have a band. There is an individual that would like to rehearse the band once per week. However, I have not finalized my plans for the semester at this point.â
President Rock Jones said, âI thought they were terrific. There was great energy. Lots of new faces in the band this year and they did really well.â
The music department puts on many performances every year, the next being Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. at Jemison auditorium in Sanborn Hall. Admission is free.
