Left to right: senior Grace Thompson as Hope Cladwell, senior Ryan Haddad as Caldwell B. Cladwell, senior Luke Scaros as Officer Barrel and senior Brianna Robinson as Penelope Pennywise. Photo courtesy of Ian Boyle.
An evil corporation charges people for peeing in order to control water consumption in the Tony Award-winning Urinetown: the Musical, coming to Ohio Wesleyan on April 17.
Senior Ian Boyle describes the play as a satire of capitalism, social irresponsibility, bureaucracy, corporate mismanagement and municipal politics.
The musical was chosen by the show’s director, theatre professor Edward Kahn, who said rehearsals have been going smoothly.
“A musical brings additional people into the collaboration,” he said. “Vocal coach Jennifer Whitehead, choreographer Rashana Perks Smith and music director James Jenkins have all added so much to the production, as have the cast, designers, stage managers and crew.”
Understanding the style of the show has been the biggest challenge for junior Hannah Simpson, who is portraying Josephine Strong.
“Since it is a satire, it is important to differentiate between which lines were written to be delivered straight and which lines are more…involved,” said Simpson.
She said she thinks students will enjoy the witty and thought-provoking script.
“If nothing else, people should come see the show to watch their friends dance around onstage for two hours,” she said. “You can’t beat that.”
Freshman TJ Galamba plays Josephine’s son, Bobby Strong, who leads the resistance against the water conservation company.
He said balancing rehearsal with class and work has been challenging but rewarding.
Musicals can be difficult because actors must bring their characters to life while also singing and dancing, Galamba said.
“People should see it if they just want to have a good time, but at the same time the show makes you think about the human condition of consuming resources, so if you want food for thought it’s definitely a show to come see,” he said.
Urinetown: the Musical will play in the Chappelear Drama Center at 8 p.m. on April 17, 18, 24 and 25 and at 2 p.m. on April 26. Tickets are $5 for faculty and staff and free for OWU students.
Students who worked on Culture Fest pose together in the Benes Rooms. Photo courtesy of Facebook.
Long food lines, diverse performances and a speech by Ohio Wesleyan President Rock Jones characterized Culture Fest, which took place Sunday, March 29 in the Benes Rooms as part of Horizons International.
Horizons International is a student-run organization formed exclusively for foreign students. The organization sponsors performances and events like this to promote various cultures and traditions from around the world.
Jones attended the event and shared a metaphor about the culture at Ohio Wesleyan. He spoke about a tapestry of diversity, and how each individual thread is woven together to create something special.
“The ultimate beauty is the collection of the whole,” Jones said.
Hundreds of men and women crowded in the Benes Rooms for festivities and food. There was a variety of cuisine offered from all over the world. Members from each club served their culture’s respective foods to students, faculty and parents. Some clubs made their own food for the event while others purchased it from restaurants.
“It’s better than Smith,” said junior Luke Steffen.
Culture Fest represented many clubs at OWU and showcased the talent within each organization.
One performance featured men and women in white t-shirts stomping around in unity. Their style of dance was called “stepping,” where the body is used as an instrument to create intricate rhythms and sounds. This traditional dance started in African communities and spread to other cultures, according to the Step Afrika website.
White and yellow ribbons hung from the ceiling while students whirled around in purple, white, and salmon clothes. The choreography in many of the dances was rehearsed for months prior to the event.
The OWtsiders, a co-ed, a cappella group performed the song “Same Love” by Macklemore. Skilled voice changes and different pitches created a unique sound that drew cheers from the crowd.
The cannery building. Photo courtesy of glassroostercannery.com.
The Glass Rooster Cannery, located in Sunbury, is looking to Ohio Wesleyan for patronage.
The Glass Rooster Cannery opened in May of 2011. They have set out to help people understand fundamental parts of their world, including eating and stewardship of the earth, ever since.
The Cannery is owned and ran by sisters Jeannie Seabrook and Susie Schmidhammer. Schmidhammer is an artist who takes care of the art and antique side of the Cannery, while Seabrook works in the kitchen with her daughter, Rachel.
“Susie has lived on the property since 2003, every year improving it and creating a park-like setting,” Seabrook said. “I came to her with the idea of the Cannery in autumn of 2010, and she offered to share her farm with me. We built the Cannery building together, and she has since restored two barns on the property for art and other events. We have onsite gardens where we grow what we need for canning, classes and catering.”
“My goal is to reinvigorate the nearly lost art of home preserving, home cooking and enjoying nature. Susie loves to take old and renew it, fashioning new life into her art.”
The Seabrook and Schmidhammer sisters. Photo courtesy of glassroostercannery.com.
Senior Ali Smith said, “its great that the Glass Rooster Cannery is getting OWU students involved and that they are able to take different classes there that would benefit them greatly for their whole life.”
“Every class we teach focuses on the principle behind the process, empowering people to do it themselves, or choose to farm it out, based on being educated about the process,” said Seabrook. “We strive to have fun, enjoy the farm and each other, and be grateful for the beauty around us. Currently we have an artisan food shop where we sell over 150 varieties of canned goods and such, and two arts and antiques barns filled with Ohio-made art and upscale antiques.”
The Cannery offers classes for canning and preserving and cooking. Students can also get involved by visiting and touring the farm and volunteering in the garden.
“We encourage people to come out and see what is going on, form private classes on their own, or join a class on our calendar,” Seabrook said.
The Glass Rooster Cannery is currently offering a college student discount: enroll in four classes, get the fifth free. To keep up on the events and offerings at the cannery, or to sign up for a class, go to www.glassroostercannery.com. The Cannery will be holding an open house on May 9 from 9 p.m. 5 p.m.
Members of Delta Gamma get their game faces on. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey.
The five D’s of dodgeball — dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge — were displayed Friday at Branch Rickey Arena when Delta Zeta held a charity dodgeball tournament to raise money for the Starkey Hearing Foundation.
Seven teams competed for the championship title of DZ Dodgeball, all composed of members of various Ohio Wesleyan sororities and fraternities. Each team brought a different approach to the game, making the competition very intense, DZ philanthropy chair Elizabeth Prior, a junior, said.
Junior Lili Fikter, a Delta Zeta, flashes a smile for the camera. Photo courtesy of Facebook.
Delta Zeta has held six dodgeball tournaments, but the competition among the teams became too aggressive at the event in 2013, which caused DZ Dodgeball to be shut down. In place of dodgeball, their new philanthropy event was DZ Dance-Off. This was a dance competition held in Milligan Hub, which was judged by their seniors, DZ president junior Mary Peterson said.
“Our event was well-known on campus and the competition level was very high between many of the teams,” Peterson said. “Because our philanthropy events serve to raise money for our causes, we wanted to try something a little more light and carefree, so that the focus of the event was our philanthropy.”
Although DZ Dance-Off was a success, members of the chapter did not think it built as much hype as DZ Dodgeball did in the past. With this in mind, Peterson and Prior determined and fixed the main issues of the past events and made the decision to hold a DZ Dodgeball tournament again, Peterson said.
A new game of dodgeball begins. Photo courtesy of Spenser Hickey.
“Delta Zeta loves dodgeball,” Peterson said. “We just needed to make sure the focus of the event was kept on our philanthropy and not just the competition.”
In its first year back, DZ Dodgeball raised approximately $550 for the Starkey Hearing Foundation. Starkey is a nonprofit organization that funds cochlear implants for those who cannot afford it. Delta Zeta-National signed a pledge to raise $5 million in five years for the organization, Prior said.
Even though they took a year off, Peterson believes this year’s event was very successful. Many organizations were unable to attend, but they were still able to make the same amount as years prior, Peterson said.
“We hope that by next year, our event will be officially reestablished as one of the biggest, most exciting events on campus,” Peterson said.
While the senate recessed, representatives spoke anxiously amongst themselves.
A pause in proceedings is unusual for the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA). However, at the April 6 meeting, controversy demanded a change in procedure.
The docket before the senators on Monday included two measures: an increase of the student activity fee from $130 to $160 per semester and an approval of the student government’s budget.
According to junior Emma Drongowski, vice president of WCSA, the “vote on the student activity fee [will] give WCSA a better sense of what our budget next year will look like.”
In regards to the docket’s second item, junior Jerry Lherisson, president of WCSA, reminded senators that the “proposed budget is only preliminary but will guide the budget committee…so they can go forward with fall planning.”
With comments and questions answered, Lherisson moved to vote on an increase of the activity fee. Before the vote commenced, a senator asked if the representatives could put their head down during the count.
At this point, calls were made by sophomore Hayden Knisley, a non-voting member of WCSA, to “own your vote.”
Drongowski deferred to sophomore Jessica Sanford, chair of the administrative policy committee. Sanford said that a heads-down vote, in which the senators would put their heads down and vote, was not permitted by WCSA guidelines, but she did have concerns about a student sitting across the room. Senior Noah Manskar was recording the full senate meeting on his iPhone. Sanford asked if he would turn it off.
The request prompted Drongowski to call for a two minute recess while WCSA’s governing documents were consulted.
During the break, Dean of Students Kimberly Goldsberry said the meeting “was public, it’s open to the public and [Manskar] cannot be told to stop recording.”
Lherisson called the meeting back to order after two minutes. Drongowski said “to make WCSA transparent and accountable to the student body” recording would be permitted and a paper vote would be used to decide the docket.
Senators submitted a paper marked with their decision and name. Sophomore Lee LeBeouf, secretary of WCSA, collected the submissions and escorted professor Sean McCulloch, a WCSA advisor, into the hall for counting.
The Modern Foreign Language House (MFL) on Rowland Avenue. Photo courtesy of owu.edu.
Residents of the Modern Foreign Language House (MFL) and the Sexuality and Gender Equality House (SAGE) are preparing for the possibility that their houses will be razed over the summer.
This is the newest in a series of changes to the small living units (SLUs). While the House of Thought (HoT) house has been scheduled for demolition for some time, MFL and SAGE were not set to be replaced by a SLUplex until a later date.
Residential Life (ResLife) coordinator Levi Harrel said MFL and SAGE may be razed earlier than anticipated because of a forthcoming donation, though nothing is final.
“There is a possibility of a donation being made, and if that donation does present itself, then for the sake of efficiency building two SLUplexes at once would be the most ideal thing to do,” he said.
There will be four SLUplexes built on Rowland Avenue, and each will contain two SLUs divided by a wall, Harrel said. The two SLUplexes in the middle will be mirror images of each other and look more like traditional duplexes. The SLUplexes on the ends will also mirror one another..
Harrel said that though each SLUplex will have a mirror image, the windows, porches, siding and other features will be different.
“For architectural purposes they might look similar, but I think students will absolutely see them individually,” he said.
The MFL and SAGE furniture will be stored by the university at no cost to the residents, Harrel said.
Senior Lauren Rump, a SAGE resident, said ResLife met with MFL and SAGE residents to discuss the possibility of the construction this summer. Though some members of the SLU community are upset about all these changes, she said she is excited about the new houses.
SAGE house on Rowland Avenue. Photo courtesy of owu.edu.
“Although I love the charm and history of my house, I have not enjoyed having to deal with fleas, skunks under porches and things falling apart,” she said.
The displaced SLU residents will most likely be placed elsewhere on campus, and ResLife is working on determining where that will be. The housing selection process for rising sophomores, juniors and seniors has already occurred, which complicates the matter.
“I am mostly sad for seniors who now have less options for next year if the houses get torn down,” said Rump. “Because housing rounds are finishing up and senior housing has already been filled, seniors who might have had a single in their respective SLU and the joy of living in a house their senior year might have a living situation they find less than ideal for their senior year.”
Junior Elizabeth Raphael, a MFL resident, said she had hope for the future of the SLUs.
“I think the SLU community is a very strong one, and I would like to see that continue,” said Raphael.
Ohio Wesleyan continued its streak of bringing in top scholars for various lectures on Thursday April 2.
The John Kennard Eddy Memorial Lecture, which was highlighted by a presentation from Princeton University professor Mark Beissinger, dealt with the current struggle between Ukraine and Russia.
“This conflict is causing consequences all over the world,” said Beissinger to a crowd of OWU students and Delaware residents.
Beissinger explained that Ukraine has largely been unstable in recent years due to the actions of now former president, Viktor Yanukovych. Political instability, riots and battling as to whether or not they should join the EU are also to blame. Russia has capitalized on this.
“Russia has been trying to pull in the Ukraine in the post-Soviet era,” Beissinger said. “Russia’s ultimate goal was to make sure the Ukraine came within its geopolitical orbit.”
Beissinger continued by saying it was a little known fact that Russian president Vladimir Putin threatened to invade Crimea, Ukraine while attending the Sochi Olympics in 2014.
That very invasion did in fact take place right after the Olympic Games though Russia has always claimed that they do not have troops in the region.
“It is now a crime in Crimea to fly the Ukrainian flag,” Beissinger said.
According to Beissinger during his lecture, there are talks within Russia about taking even more land.
So how has the United States and its EU allies responded?
One suggestion was economic sanctions. They not only have been put into effect but also have crippled the Russian economy. These sanctions have hurt credit rates in Moscow and raised interest rates throughout the country.
Despite all of this, Putin’s approval rating has never been higher within his country.
“It’s just interesting in general to see how this will all play out,” freshman Jenna Chambers said. “Looking at this lecture it seems well contained.”
Beissinger ended the lecture with a Russian propaganda clip titled “I am a Russian Occupier,” which condemned those who have stopped the country from spreading its wealth and ideas.
Popular iPhone applications come and go, but a senior at Ohio Wesleyan believes he can create a new dating application that will exceed users’ expectations.
Senior Mainza Moono. Photo courtesy of Facebook.
Senior Mainza Moono said he knows his app is going to be great, although similar to Tinder and other popular dating apps. He said he hopes to solve their biggest problem: people making a lot of matches but not going on dates.
“I can only imagine how many heart matches women get,” said David Wygant, a Huffington Post contributor. “Men probably sit there, heart matching every woman on [Tinder], hoping one will get back to them. It’s so funny that the symbol for a match is a heart too. This app is far from making love connections. It’s all about look connections!”
Moono said he agreed with Wygant, which is why he is committed to making a successful application.
According to Moono, last summer he and his colleagues were using dating apps and would continuously discuss them together, which is how he got the idea to create a new app.
“One night we were sitting at dinner talking about applications,” he said. “We started talking about their problems and thought that if you combine a few of them, you can solve a lot of problems that each one individually has.”
Realizing that this could be something groundbreaking, Moono said he created a Google document to write about the problem qualitatively.
When he returned to Ohio Wesleyan for the fall semester, he took an entrepreneurship class, where students have to come up with a business idea of any sort. Moono said he and his group used the dating app idea as their project.
This semester, Moono is in an economics class that now allows him to add the quantitative side of the project.
Besides in his classes, Moono is working on the application with a fellow intern from Stanford and their friend, a software engineer, who will build the app. Moono said his current goals are to focus on the product and create something that users can appreciate.
“We have no money making strategy now…money will come later,” he said.
According to Moono, the app will be free—similar to Tinder—and will be targeted to millennials, which ranges from 18 to 35-years-old.
“I’ve found [the 18 to 35] age range to be the most fitting from data collected in my economics class because they are the ones who are downloading and using the current apps,” Moono said.
As for when the application will be ready, Moono said he hopes that it will be done by the end of the summer.
Moono said he has three months after graduation before he starts his job in San Francisco.
“I have a lot of time to dedicate to it,” he said.
There are a lot of things that Moono and his team have to figure out before their app is launched, such as if they will have to use their own money.
Moono has figured out one way to avoid major costs though, which is by having his software engineer as his friend and part of his team.
Another aspect that is in the works is where the app will be available because the app requires a network effect, “which is people knowing each other,” Moono said. He said he knows he has to start small, which will most likely be at a college.
“We don’t know where yet, but it’s going to be strictly in one place,” Moono said.
For now, Moono is collecting answers to a survey that he sent out to Ohio Wesleyan alumni, juniors and seniors and hopes to find the right information to make his application work.
“I would definitely say that people are getting more matches on Tinder than going on dates,” said Sara Hamilton, a junior interested to find out about the app. “The desire for personal contact has been practically eliminated, so a new application would have to be able to find a way to get past that crucial problem of modern day dating.”
Privacy regulations and determining whether or not they should make it a company are among the major questions that Moono and his team will research to make their application work exactly how they want it.
Louisville lit up at night. Photo courtesy of gotolouisville.com.
As quickly as Louisville pushed me out, it pulled me in again. Louisville is a city with an inviting twang and hospitality with flair. Louisville prides itself on feeling independent from the rest of Kentucky. In the 2008 presidential election, Louisville was one of the only cities in the state to vote democratic. Our electric blue rebelled against the overwhelming wall of red.
The pride of rebellion rings throughout the city. A Louisville rebellion is a challenge to normality. The city is painted with murals declaring our unyielding attempts to “stay weird.” Our streets are lined with shops promoting their independence. In Louisville “Mom and Pop” shops are hailed as royalty and the city divides depending on which stores hold their loyalty.
Our oddities are our battle cries. We wear them boldly and share them with anyone who may partially be listening. We recount the years that we have attended the annual Zombie Walk down our favorite road, Bardstown. We spout off any and all of the facts we have learned while living in Louisville; our production of 90 percent of the world’s disco balls usually at the forefront of our memory.
Louisville’s iconic Bardstown Road. Photo courtesy of oceanllama.com.
Louisville is a city that loves Louisville. Kentucky politician Albert “Happy” Chandler famously corralled that undying affection into a quote that has been recited endlessly to me and by me. A quote that has been printed on posters and tee shirts and mugs that will hold coffee with bourbon. A quote that every Louisvillian I know holds to be true: “I’ve never met a Kentuckian who wasn’t either thinking about going home, or actually going home.”
Louisville is a winding city that travels through me – all of its roads crisscrossing and converging to one spot. Each house has a multitude of potential routes of access. A drive toward home could be as quick or as prolonged depending on each turn taken. It weaves paths through sheltered catholic school kids, wandering college graduates, to the newly perfected family living in the Victorian house on the corner.
Louisville is a city of land. As only the 28th biggest city in America, we have more than 100 parks – Cherokee being one of the most visited in the nation. Almost every building has a floral counterpart. Our parks are not a sectioned off square of grass as in many cities. Our parks are monumental spaces of life. They are capable of engulfing you and losing you. They are engrained into the city.
Louisville’s Waterfront Park. Photo courtesy of asla.org.
Waterfront Park carries Louisville. It is the spot for cruises on the Belle of Louisville. It holds the skate park for youths in revolt. It sits on the edge of the murky Ohio River and looks across, mockingly, at the state of Indiana. It is the setting for picnics, strolls and for live music. In the warmer months our local public radio station hosts free concerts featuring plenty a Bluegrass beat. Young mothers dance with their Montessori toddlers, hula hoops are spun and tossed in the air by barefoot hippies blowing bubbles while the city’s adored cellist performs under a string of fairy lights on stage.
Louisville has a hold on its inhabitants. It is a lover from years past who still brings a smile when remembered. Louisville is for lovers. Louisville is for haters. Louisville is for agents of relevance, children of small-business owners, and for old couples who sway in their wicker chairs and sip on sweet tea.
Louisville is longing. Louisville is rebellion. Louisville is odd. Louisville is self-admiration. Louisville is land. Louisville is devotion. Louisville is pride.
Rapper Kendrick Lamar. Photo courtesy of thissongissick.com.
How does someone follow up a critically and commercially acclaimed album? Many musicians had to do it- just ask Nirvana, Adele or a myriad of other artists. The latest artist that had to deal with the quandary was Kendrick Lamar.
Almost three years after his breakthrough album, 2012’s good kid, m.A.A.d city, Lamar released his third album, To Pimp a Butterfly. It was a long wait for Lamar fans; the album was supposed to come out late 2014, and he kept releasing songs, such as “i”. And on one of the last episodes of The Colbert Report, he performed an untitled song. But on March 16, Lamar dropped his latest masterpiece. It came out a week early, which surprised many fans.
Butterfly is a bit of a departure from his previous albums. It’s musically diverse, incorporating funk, call and repeat and traditional rap. His songs talk about everything from Wesley Snipes, Kunta Kente and a shout-out to Oprah Winfrey. The album grapples with Lamar’s simultaneous sense of pride being a Black man, while the self-hatred that he feels. Listen to the songs “i” and “The Blacker the Berry” back to back, and you’ll get it. The album also tackles the idea of race in America; for example, in “Wesley’s Theory”, Lamar comes to the conclusion that once a Black man becomes successful, everyone, including the government, will try to take it away, as evidenced by Wesley Snipe’s tax issues.
Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” album cover. Photo courtesy of thefamedriven.com.
There are obviously some cheekier, sexier songs (“These Walls”) along with a mournful, complicated ballad, which is seen as the opposite of “i” (“u”). The most interesting song on the album is the 12-minute “Mortal Man”, in which Lamar conducts an interview with the deceased rapper Tupac Shakur, one of Lamar’s idols. The interview is taken from a 1994 discussion on Sweden’s P3 Soul radio show. The discussion between Lamar and Shakur spans from subjects like legacy and how to handle success.
Kendrick Lamar has been hailed as the rapper of a generation. That’s pretty big praise, and a lot of hype someone has to live up to. But Lamar does deserve that distinction, and To Pimp a Butterfly is a prime example that Lamar intends to live up to those tags.
