CPB – The Transcript

Wipeout on the Jaywalk

By Katie Cantrell

Transcript Correspondent

kmcantre@owu.edu

Ohio Wesleyan Wipeout was…well, a Wipeout. Though attendance was low Friday students enjoyed competing on a couple inflatable challenges on the JayWalk.

The Campus Programming Board had Wesleyan Wipeout running from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. It had a particular reason for choosing this time frame according to club member Catie A. Hyatt.

“This is the time that people have to spend to like eat lunch and then have like a few minutes before class. So it’s kind of a fun little thing they can do,” she said.

The board rented two inflatables from one of the SuperGames warehouses located in Columbus. The inflatables at the Wesleyan Wipeout were the Leaps and Bounds- Big Red Balls and the Kapow obstacle course, both a part of SuperGames’ interactive play attractions. To comply with SuperGames protocols, students had to fill out a waiver before they could participate in the activities.

Two of the students who participated in Wesleyan Wipeout said they preferred the Kapow obstacle course. According to OWU student Alex N. Mason, she preferred Kapow because “it had more movement.”

Mason’s friend, freshman Sara Cordle, agreed. “It was more like a puzzle-like you had to duck not duck, you know.”

Student turnout was lower than expected at the beginning of the event, but two board members said this did not have much to do with the game itself, but more to do with the weather on Friday afternoon. It was sunny and hovering somewhere between 80 to 90 degrees outside.

The Campus Programming Board is responsible for quite a few activities that Ohio Wesleyan promotes on campus for the students.

“Last semester we put on Day on the Jay…and we brought in one of these I don’t wanna call them blow-ups, but blow-ups or inflatables I guess, and a lot of people liked it a lot,” said club member Qiukui Moutvic. “So we decided to base an event on something like that and then we just decided to call it Wesleyan Wipeout.”

Last fall the club took a tour of the SuperGames warehouse during one of its retreats and had the chance to try out some of the inflatables. It was from this retreat that the idea for Wesleyan Wipeout was born.

When asked if there might be more events like Wesleyan Wipeout in the future Moutvic said, “We have staple events every year, so events like these are more of just whatever comes out of our planning retreat.”

The students definitely would not mind more events like Wesleyan Wipeout said, Cordle. “I like the inflatable events that they have and all the games, like from Day on the Jay.”

CPB hosts fifth annual A Cappellooza

By Reilly Wright, Photo Editor

“Carry On Wayward Son” did not need an electric guitar for a memorable solo at the fifth annual voices-only A Cappellooza concert on Saturday, Nov. 4, in Ohio Wesleyan’s Gray Chapel.

Featuring classic rock from Queen to Guns N’ Roses, student a cappella groups from OWU and Wittenberg University as well as the headliner, The Filharmonic, performed.

The Filharmonic, an a cappella group that made NBC’s “The Sing-Off” semi-finals and appeared in the 2015 comedy film “Pitch Perfect 2,” wrapped up the concert. The five-person group has also performed on “The Late Late Show” with James Corden with stars such as Anna Kendrick and Ansel Elgort.

“The Filharmonic was a fantastic group to work with,” said Katy Tuggle, the marketing director of the Campus Programming Board, the OWU student group that organized the event. “In addition to their amazing performance, the group was extremely friendly and full of energy from the moment they arrived on campus.”

After their performance, The Filharmonic members sold merchandise, held a meet-and-greet and had photos with audience members.

“[The Filharmonic] supported our student groups by watching their performances, which I thought was absolutely wonderful,” Tuggle said. “Their participation in the meet-and-greet was also well received and very much appreciated by attendees.”

The student a cappella groups that performed included OWU’s OWtsiders, the JAYwalkers and Pitch Black as well as Wittenberg’s Just Eve and The Wittmen Crew. This is the first year CPB had a cappella groups submit a video of their songs as part of their application to A Cappellooza.

“A Cappellooza has helped Pitch Black prepare for competition,” said Nani Raass, the music director of the all-women group Pitch Black. “We have competed in the past against other colleges and we placed in the top ten last year in our division. Performing in front of a large audience helps our new members, especially with how to handle stage fright.”

With tickets sold to the OWU, Wittenberg and Delaware community, Tuggle said 620 tickets in total were sold, but estimated 750 people were in attendance.

“I would always love to see the continued support from the OWU community and hear feedback on student perspectives of A Cappellooza, including theme ideas for the upcoming years,” Tuggle said.

CPB announces headliner

By Sara Hollabaugh, Online Editor

The Campus Programming Board (CPB) is bringing The Mowgli’s as the headliner to Ohio Wesleyan for Bishop Bash this year.

Planning since last year, junior Kristen Nooney, CPB president, said it was a long process of finalizing the event.

“[The] first step for us is to brainstorm a list of all of the different people we would like to see on campus,” Nooney said. “At [that] stage, we don’t take the price or availability of the artist into consideration.”

Nooney said the next step was to talk to Nancy Rutkowski, CPB’s adviser, who contacted Concert Ideas, the middle agent CPB uses to find talent for Bishop Bash.

After narrowing down a list of artists, Nooney said CPB ranks the potential artists.

“[The ranking is] based upon who we want to bring and who would be the best fit for the campus,” Nooney said. “This list then goes back to Nancy who works with our middle agent to get contracts.”

CPB then goes through the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA) to get funding for the event.

“We reached out to WCSA at the beginning of the school year because we wanted to keep them in the loop with our Bishop Bash plans,” Nooney said.

“This year we were hoping to bring Twenty One Pilots to campus or host a weekend music festival. However, with limited funds we weren’t able to make this happen so we adapted and created a new list of artists within the budget we received from WCSA.”

In addition to Twenty One Pilots, Nooney said CPB eliminated more than 26 different groups due to compatibility on campus, price and the groups’ availability.

Once deciding on The Mowgli’s, Nooney said their price was good enough for CPB to find a popular opener, too.

“We decided on Never Shout Never because the two bands have a similar message and complement each other’s sound,” Nooney said. “They were also well known while most of us were in middle school and high school, making their appearance exciting and nostalgic.”

Nooney said the estimated cost for Bishop Bash this year will be around $45,000 after the production, the bands, hospitality, security and housekeeping.

Junior Catie Kocian, a member of CPB, said she is extremely excited about seeing both bands perform at OWU.

“I have been a fan of Never Shout Never since middle school and our headliner is a new favorite of mine for sure,” Kocian said.

The Transcript reached out to The Mowgli’s and Never Shout Never, but have not spoken with either band yet.

CPB crafts for the holidays

By Shamayeta Rahman Transcript Reporter

Craft tables, hot chocolate and cheese trays covered the second oor lobby at Smith Hall as a means for students to relax before finals Dec. 1 at 7 p.m.

The event also included a table for decorating wine glasses, Christmas ornaments and ceramic mugs. The highlight of the event was the mason jar snow globe crafting tables with assortments of ribbons, colors, stickers and more.

Christmas carols and movies played in the background, as well. “Painting was very therapeutic and I got a nifty mug out of it,” said senior Khayyam Zubair.

Zubair said he also thought that the event was a great stress reliever before the exams and really enjoyed the event.

The Campus Programming Board (CPB) usually hosts a similar holiday-themed event every year before the stress of finals week starts to pour in.

CPB has hosted events with DIY crafts before, most notably during Escape Rooms, their Halloween-themed event.

“This is just something fun and relaxing to do and a way to make fun DIY holiday and Christmas gifts for family and friends because college students are usually broke,” said sophomore Alyssa DiPadova, a member of CPB.

This was CPB’s last event for the year, according to DiPadova.

WCSA Today: Spring budgets funded

By Gopika Nair, Copy Editor

Ohio Wesleyan’s Campus Programming Board (CPB) requested $200,000 for Bishop Bash 2017, but was granted $25,000 at the Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs’ (WCSA) last full senate meeting.

CPB intended to have Twenty One Pilots, a band from Ohio, perform at Bishop Bash. WCSA’s Budget Committee initially funded the programming board $45,000.

At the Dec. 5 senate meeting, Treasurer Daud Baz said though CPB planned on hosting a “big Bishop Bash,” the Budget Committee decided to grant $45,000 because that gave CPB enough funds to host a good event despite the fact that Twenty One Pilots was “completely off the table.”

Sen. Ryan Bishop argued that $45,000 was a large sum for an event that students might not even attend. Following more discussion, members moved to lower the funded amount to $25,000 and the amendment passed.

President’s Club also requested $60,760 to invite either J.K. Rowling or Evan Spiegel, the CEO of Snapchat, to speak at OWU. The Budget Committee funded the club $24,218.

Baz acknowledged that the granted funds wouldn’t be sufficient for President’s Club to bring Rowling or Spiegel, but it was enough money to fund another “big speaker.”

Overall, clubs requested $471,645 for spring 2017 and total funds approved by Budget Committee was $199,668.

At the meeting, WCSA’s executive of officers also addressed that CPB would receive $40,000 for general programming funds as opposed to $25,000. This allocation amount is based on past figures CPB has requested.

“While WCSA is dedicated to quality programming on campus and recognized CPB as a crucial element of campus life, all funds requested beyond the guaranteed $40,000 … per semester are to be distributed at the discretion of WCSA Budget Committee and the WCSA Full Senate,” said a revised copy of the Campus Programming Board Agreement Terms Resolution.

As per the new agreement terms, CPB is exempt from standard rollover procedures. Unspent money will remain in CPB’s account until the board decides how to spend it.

WCSA’s Budget Committee will have $168,664 left for clubs and organizations next semester after recently funding spring budget requests.

Bishop Bash performer announced

Courtney Dunne, Copy Editor

Anticipation filled the air Friday afternoon Feb. 26 as the Campus Programming Board (CPB) announced this year’s Bishop Bash performer.

CPB, the organization set up to fill the need for fun and excitement, brings to campus some kind of larger scale entertainment every year.

This spring, CPB is ramping things up and bringing Bo Burnham to campus. Burnham is a musically inclined comedian that went from being a YouTube sensation to being featured on MTV and Comedy Central.

As CPB announced that Burnham would be this year’s Bishop Bash performer, balloons fell from the lofts of the Ham-Will atrium and students screamed with excitement.

“I have been following Bo Burnham on YouTube since I was in middle school,” said sophomore Zoe Rosenthal. “His performance has changed a lot since then and his stage presence is ridiculous.”

As students popped balloons and ate brownies, courtesy of CPB, after the announcement, they discovered that there were free tickets in the balloons. Five students were able to get free tickets to this year’s Bishop Bash.

“I was so excited that I got a free ticket and it is actually a performer that everyone can enjoy,” said junior Jess Sanford.

President of CPB, sophomore Catie Kocian, told the Transcript that CPB had a ranked list of performers that they wanted to bring and Bo Burnham was at the top of their list.

“The mission of CPB is to bring high quality entertainment that will appeal to campus,” Kocian said. The reactions in the atrium after the announcement made it clear that many students were pleased with CPB’s choice to bring Burnham to campus.

On March 24, Burnham will be performing in Grey Chapel. Tickets are on sale now. They are $10 for OWU students, $15 for non-OWU students and $20 for general public.

Tickets are only available to OWU students until Monday, Feb. 29, which is when they will go on sale to the general public.

A cappella singers, fans come together for A Cappellooza

Julia Stone '16 of The OWtsiders, OWU's only co-ed a cappella group, performs at the 3rd annual A Cappelloza hosted by CPB. Photo by Spenser Hickey. — Julia Stone ’16 of The OWtsiders, OWU’s only co-ed a cappella group, performs at the 3rd annual A Cappelloza hosted by CPB. Photo by Spenser Hickey.

On Nov. 7, members of the Delaware and Ohio Wesleyan community came together to enjoy song and laughter at the third annual A Cappellooza.

The event was held in Gray Chapel, with music fans filling the orchestra and balconies.

Organized by the Campus Programing Board (CPB), A Cappellooza brought together groups from OWU, Wittenberg University, Denison University and Akron University.

CPB also hosted a professional guest for the night, a cappella group Street Corner Symphony.

Street Corner Symphony sang Johnny Cash to open their set, a choice that reflected their southern heritage. The group’s band members are all from Nashville, Tennessee.

Senior Miranda Dean said “they sounded pretty Southern.”

Street Corner Symphony went on to invite volunteers from the audience to join them on stage as they sang the theme song from “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”

Oberlin's all-female a cappella group, Just Eve, begins their set. Photo by Spenser Hickey. — Oberlin’s all-female a cappella group, Just Eve, begins their set. Photo by Spenser Hickey.

Compared to last year’s group, sophomore Maddy Bonfield believed that Street Corner Symphony “tried to get the crowd more into it.”

Senior Julia Stone, member of both OWU a capella groups, the OWTsiders and Pitch Black, mentioned that “all the groups are really supportive of each other.”

Bonfield noted that it was “cool to see the other schools…and their fan base.”

After the event, all the groups were invited for an A Cappella mixer at the Peace and Justice small living unit.

Stone said “quite a few [from Denison] showed up and we just sort of improvised music together.”

It shows to the unifying effect that A Cappellooza had on the community.

Bishop Bash bringing Bell

After months of speculation and wild rumors, Ohio Wesleyan’s Campus Programming Board (CPB) announced its mystery guest for this year’s Bishop Bash: Drake Bell.

Bell, known for his role in the Nickelodeon television show “Drake and Josh,” also has musical talent. Sophomore Maddie Oslejsek, the director of entertainment for CPB, said Bell was one of the board’s top choices due to his name recognition.

Bell will be joined by Liberty Deep Down, a band from Powell, Ohio whose members met at Liberty High School. Levi Harrel, a residential life coordinator and one of CPB’s advisers, said the band has a large local following and reflect a “boy-band style.”

Freshman Elle Benak, a co-president of CPB said, “[Bell] is well-known by our generation for his work on ‘Drake and Josh’ and we knew that would draw many people to the concert. We focused on finding a name that everyone would recognize and believed that his name would do that.”

Bishop Bash will be a new addition to OWU’s entertainment roster. Previously, CPB planned events such as Spring Fest, which was not as successful as the board had hoped. Junior Nathan LaFrombois, the other co-president, said through marketing research and surveying OWU students, CPB decided it would be beneficial to revitalize a concert series, and that required a name change.

“When talking to students on campus there was great desire for a concert,” Benak said. “And even among CPB members, everyone wanted to put on a large-scale concert with an artist.”

Liberty Deep Down. Photo courtesy of Liberty Deep Down's management. — Liberty Deep Down. Photo courtesy of Liberty Deep Down’s management.

Oslejsek said CPB made a large list of possible artists and narrowed them by availability and price. CPB used a company called Concert Ideas to negotiate the act’s appearance and price.

After attending a concert management lecture last summer to learn how to put a concert together, LaFrombois said CPB had the ability to revitalize concerts and make them better than in the past.

The budget, which was provided by Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs (WCSA), was $50,000. Bell will cost CPB about $20,000. LaFrombois said the rest of the money goes toward hospitality, technology required for the concert, housekeeping, security and any “hidden costs.”

“Once you know the performer, everything else falls into place,” Oslejsek said.

Harrel said CPB plans on continuing Bishop Bash, but will rotate yearly between singers and comedians. He said future Bishop Bashes are contingent on WCSA funding.

Bishop Bash logo courtesy of OWU’s communications office.

Nancy Rutkowski, assistant director of student involvement for leadership and CPB’s adviser, said funding for next year’s Bishop Bash will be submitted in the fall before the spring budget deadline.

“Believe it or not…$50,000 really covers a small concert so if we wanted to do a bigger name someday, it would take more than that,” Rutkowski said.

The concert will take place on March 28 in the Gordon Field House of the Branch Rickey Arena. Doors open at 7 pm and parking is free. Advance tickets can be purchased at owutickets.com by OWU students, staff and faculty for $10 and the general public for $20. All tickets are $25 at the door.

One hundred OWU students will be able to purchase VIP tickets for $15. Students with these tickets get early admission through a special entrance, a Bishop Bash t-shirt and a VIP lanyard.

Bladin’ in the Benes rooms

Students test out their skates. Photo courtesy of Alex Gross.

On Friday, Feb. 13, the Campus Planning Board (CPB) installed a makeshift roller rink over the entire Benes room floor.

The event lasted from 7-10 p.m. It addition to the rink (supplied by Neon Entertainment), CPB offered alpha art, food and beverages.

The indoor roller rink is one of several events hosted by CPB of late. Other events include movie screenings, the CPB coffee house, and a live show featuring comedy duo Frangela.

“It’s been a lot of work doing all of the events,” said junior Nathan LaFrombois, president-internal for CPB. “We’ve never had this many events in such a short amount of time.”

As students entered the event they were greeted by the sound of music, disco-style lighting and a waiver form that had to be signed before rollerblading was permitted.

Students keep each other from falling. Photo courtesy of Alex Gross.

“When you walk in, it (the roller rink) kind of looks like Legos,” said sophomore and director of entertainment for CPB, Maddie Oslejsek. “It was easy to set up and will be easy to take down.”

For those in attendance that may not have wanted to rollerblade the entire time, alpha art offered an alternative form of entertainment.

Alpha art gives students the option to spell out their name – or anything they might want to spell – using different colors, shapes, objects and lettering.

“Last time we did the roller rink we had the issue of not enough skates or space for everyone to be active, so we tried to find some small, fun thing for people to do,” LaFrombois said. “We sort of tacked this (alpha art) on as an addition so people could always be entertained.”

Oslejsek furthered that point by suggesting that any alpha-art creations would be a great gift for Valentine’s Day.

Coffee House comes to OWU

Two Worlds. Photo courtesy of developingartist.com.

Caffeinated students bobbed their heads to live music at the latest Campus Programming Board (CPB) event.

On Thursday, Feb. 5 CPB brought two independent vocal groups to the Milligan Hub. Two Worlds and Adelee & Gentry performed throughout the evening while students sampled free hot beverages and pastries.

Two Worlds, made up of 20-year-olds Nick Voelker and Adiel Mitchell, traveled from Colorado to sing. According to the male duo, their music comes from “a background of acoustic R&B with energetic pop.”

The group also incorporates break dancing into their performances and said they have “released many innovative covers and original songs on their YouTube channel.”

The second performance of the night was given by Adelee & Gentry from Dayton, Ohio. The group consists of two sisters, ages 21 and 19. They describe their music as “a polished folk-pop sound that is grounded by a root base.”

Adelee & Gentry. Photo courtesy of adeleeandgentry.com.

There are samples of Adelee & Gentry’s work on YouTube.

CPB is preparing for two other events this semester. Freshman Christiana Migliacci said, “The first is Popcorn and Pix, which is when The Lego Movie will be shown. This is taking place on Feb. 26.”

At Popcorn and Pix, CPB will be announcing the performer for this year’s Bishop Bash.

“The Bishop Bash is an annual event funded by WCSA,” said Migliacci. “This consists of an on-campus concert.”

CPB has a standard scouting process for campus events.

“Basically we draw from what OWU students say they would like to see. A group of CPB members go to a conference called NACA early in the year, and see loads of performers. Then we come back and tell the rest of the CPB what we saw and liked. We then vote. Both performers at the Coffee House event were discovered at NACA,” said sophomore Maddie Oslejsek.